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Tuesday, December 3, 2013

The Christmas tree I could not have...

To say the least, I get very intense around Christmas. I am bossy and I will have my way by any means. I will be on my toes most of the time, overbearing and highly intolerable, assigning duties to everyone including the toddler. Rest of the year, I am exceptionally sweet, lovable, modest and down to earth. I do not know how others perceive it though, as very often I am mistaken to be carrying over the Christmas code of conduct for another eleven months, but as we all know everyone has the right to judge and I exercise my right to ignore.

When I was younger, artificial trees like we have now and tree ornaments existed only in the homes of NRIs so we satisfied ourselves by decorating the fern plant from our garden. After my marriage I made it clear that in the month of December there will be a Christmas tree in my living room, at any cost. And so it happened. We had shifted to a different country, Oman, in year 2010 and had minimal furniture and vessels, but Christmas tree was certainly there (going by my unwritten rule). We still have the same tree carefully packed in its box resting under our bed cabinet, fresh and very usable, almost as good as new. However I am known to be extravagant and quite a wasteful spendthrift around Christmas…Oh did I not mention that earlier? It is the complete opposite of what Christmas really means, due to the obvious fact that baby Jesus was not born in Breach Candy hospital. So despite having a very usable tree, I went Christmas tree shopping.

Day 1: We went to the Lulu(supermarket) near our house and found the most amazing tree ever. But then a voice in my head said… ‘Hey! C’mon you should know better…you cannot possibly ‘like’ the first tree you saw…don’t you want to check those at Home center as well and make a wise decision?’ Of course, what was I thinking?
My favorite tree from Lulu

Day 2: We went to home center and found the most expensive trees not worth a single penny.

Day 3: We went to Sultan center mall and found trees from the 18th century. So Lulu tree it is…My favorite tree…here I come..get ready and pack your bags!

Day 4: At Lulu, I was told that my favorite tree was sold out. I yelled crazy. ‘We could check in the other Lulu right?’ I consoled myself (In Middle East, there is a Lulu in every corner).

Day 5: At the other Lulu, my favorite tree was there. Three of them on display, and others were in boxes. ‘Brother, please pack this item, we don’t have time to think ’I said. Whoosh! We almost flew home in excitement.

Day 6: The tree stayed in the box.

Day 7: The tree stayed in the box.

Day 8: Midnight: I opened the box and set it up. It was the ugliest tree of the entire Christmas tree collection in the history of Lulu. The damn sales guy packed the wrong tree.

Day 9: Complete hysteria. The car sped towards the Lulu that spoiled our lives, with the box of so-called tree, its bill, and a temper that had gone ablaze. The sales guy apologized and confessed that my favorite tree including the ones on display was sold out from there as well. We came home sailing in our own tears.

Day 10: I dusted my tree from 2011 and lit it. It took more time as I had to wipe tears in between. My son thought that putting up Christmas tree was some sort of sad ritual wherein one remembers dead forefathers.

At the end, my tree looked something like this. Not so bad eh?
My Christmas tree


Lessons Learnt:

1.      When you find something you like, buy it immediately. Do not wait to compare, especially seasonal stuff like Christmas trees, mangoes and watermelons. Cunning and ruthless people are waiting like wolves to grab what you wanted so dearly, I am telling you.

2.      When you buy an item, open the box and check it at the store itself before heading for home. This does not apply to milk and eggs.

3.      The intensity of your greed to buy something you already have is inversely proportional to your chances of owning it.

4.      When you put up Christmas tree, do not cry. Do it to create memories for yourself and your kids. If the kid does not give a damn of your precious and beautiful tree, it is most likely you are raising a boy. The male species develop such annoying indifference to all things beautiful at a very early stage. In this case as early as two years and five months of age.

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you guys find your perfect tree!


29 comments:

  1. Your post is making me yearn for a tree... from LULU!!! This one looks perfectly beautiful. Don't pay attention to the male species. They have absolutely no emotions!

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    1. I agree. No emotions and no eye for creativity !

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  2. ‘We came home sailing in our own tears.’ That so much had a twang of Tom & Jerry in it. I could not help cartoonizing the entire scenario in my head. I still do not have the heart to buy an artificial tree at home, though every time I do get tempted by those beautiful things on display in stores all around at Christmas time. My mother nearly waits for the entire year for Christmas time now, to light up & decorate her little Araucaria tree, our official Christmas tree at home, for Diya. My mother had always been an ‘intense’ being like you during Christmas days, with the intensity at its peak on the 25th. Such a beautiful post Anita! I can smell Christmas in the air…. :)

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    1. Haha thanks Amogha... thanks a lot for leaving a comment here ! And yes December smells of Christmas... it is in the air already! And nothing better than a cute tree to set in the mood.

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    2. So true! And, as for the unusual location of my comment, very recently joined blogger and very excited about it too. Hence the comment right here, and not in a different place! ;)

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    3. Thanks Amogha...I like the comments over here anyway ! New to blogger? Welcome ! Will follow!

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  3. HAHAHA... Much ado about a Christmas tree... And yours looks lovely <3
    Hope you have a lovely month :)

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  4. This makes me want to have a tree! Let me see if I can con my husband into getting one :)

    I so agree about the points to note while buying things. I never compare, if I like it I but it immediately. Once I left an awesome shoe to check for something better, by the time I got back it was sold. Till date I haven't found a black shoe as perfect as that one :(

    Anyway, you learn lessons and life moves on :D

    Have a lovely month ahead Anita! You rock my girl :)

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    1. I have a list of such items I have missed. This includes a pair of shoes, a nice chikan salwar set I saw at Mumbai, another beautiful top I missed out in a few secs from Pantaloons...etc etc... :-(

      You have a gr8 month too and if you coax your hubby into getting a tree, post a pic !

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  5. The tree looks lovely :) :)
    As for the lessons, never ever put off buying something you love just to compare it with others. It is the law that when you buy it at first sight , you will find better ones ahead but when you don't buy, the universe will plant all ugly things ahead!

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    1. EXACTLY Maithili... I think when we keep something pending only to make 'wiser' decisions that item curses us ! :-o

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  6. Good writing, Anu. Keep it up. Love.
    Papa

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  7. We have two trees at home, which are often called Christmas trees in colloquial sense. They are ferns, all right, but they look like Christmas trees. They came home when I was small, and for a few years, I'd wrap one of them up (the, 'my tree'; other one belonging to my brother) with coloured paper and paper stars and all.
    After a while, the trees grew into, well, trees, and I couldn't put on decorations on them any more, because I could not reach the top of them, so I stopped, and that was the last time I celebrated Christmas that way. Now, I just keep to my bed that day, snuggling and sleeping on a wintery day.

    Oh, I digressed. Right, so, yes, double check what you are buying. Better, if you have a 'as good as new' Christmas tree, do not think of buying another, because the Christmas trees are magical. They can do a lot, to deny you that new tree :P

    Cheers,
    Blasphemous Aesthete

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    1. The ones you have at home is the original tree !

      And yes I really doubt my old tree to have done something like that ! :D

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  8. Psst..I think your Old Christmas tree has superpowers. Look what it made you go through to realize old is gold.

    Chuckled throughout the post.

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    1. Yes I think so too ! haha
      Thanks Purba! Means a lot !

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  9. You are too cute! And here I going by your style of writing.
    I hope you have a lovely Christmas. :D

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  10. :) when you find something you like and reasonable buy it immediately .....

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    1. Correct ! Well about the perception of 'reasonable' we will discuss it offline :D

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  11. Somehow I like ur tree better than the one in the other photo. But I get ur disappointment. I too tend to procrastinate and lose out on the good stuff;-(. Like my mom always points our during times like tht "Chadhayam natrakaar always chadhannu chadhanuu...." u can guess the rest;-/

    Look on the bright side...u got enough fodder for a post;-D

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    1. oops noticed a type.....nakshatrakaar I meant;-P

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    2. That I got enough content for a post is the best part !! You being a blogger know well that at the end of such situations is a silver lining... that we get to write or rant or joke or grumble it out into a post...! :D And yes about chathayam...my Mom says this hinting at Papa :D

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  12. Merry Christmas and Happy New year to you too!
    Thank you..Nice to know you too!

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  13. I am sorry i did not comment earlier. I had no internet plus I just started with a new job :)
    HAPPY CHRISTMAS OR XMAS!!!!! BELATED :(

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    1. Merry Christmas dear...late or early you are always welcome ! :-)

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