Thursday 9 December 2010

Bringing home the Christmas Tree




I used to love all the American Christmas films and programmes that featured someone (usually the Dad) bringing home the Christmas Tree - walking through New York - usually in the snow. When I lived at home, we always had the poorest excuse for a Christmas Tree - it was about 2 foot tall and a fake one. So one year, the first year that my sister started work, we decided to meet up after work and buy a real tree. We met at a green grocers close to where we caught the bus (yes, we were going home on the bus). We chose our tree - 6foot didn't sound too large! This would have been around 1980, and they didn't wrap the trees in netty bags like they do these days, so we really did look like we were in a Christmas film - I seem to remember a sprinkling of snow too! The bus came, and on we jumped - her carrying the top, me carrying the bottom. We had decided to go to the back of the bus so that we wouldn't be in any ones way with the enormous tree. However, instead of walking down the bus with the base first, we did it top first, which meant everyone already sat down got slapped with at least one branch and stabbed with a few pine needles at the same time.
We of course just dissolved into a fit of giggles on the back of the bus.

Bringing it home in the car just isn't as much fun.

24 comments:

Vintage Tea Time said...

Ha, ha - love your story - can just see everyone on the bus trying to dodge the spiky branches!! Bringing it home in the car sounds a bit more civilised!!

topchelseagirl said...

Sounds like a movie scene. I would've been crying with laughter.

Kathy said...

Great story ...it conjures up such pictures!
It's easier in the car, unless you take the dog too, which we did one year. We went en famille to Delamere Forest, two little children and a great big Chow Chow dog! Everybody ended up covered in mud, the car interior was covered in mud even the ceiling of the car, but the dog emerged mud free somehow. Never again!

Christy said...

What a fun story! We use an artificial tree, but I do so love the way a home smells of pine when a real tree is up. Happy Holidays!

WinnibriggsHouse said...

Thats brilliant, really made me chuckle. Mine is outside in a bucket at the moment, bit too busy to get it in and decorated. Why do we always take on too much at this time of year? That's why of course those old films look so appealing, no one seems stressed and with a click of the fingers everything is done...magic!

Diane said...

He he he, I love the story. Diane

harmony and rosie said...

Love it. Do you think there are people out there who still tell the tale of these two young girls who dared to give them acupuncture all those years ago? That would be too funny. By the way, ta very much for your comment about how chilblains sounds a bit on the 'rest home' side! Much appreciated I'm sure xx

Louise said...

What a great story! I wonder if the passengers still recall it too!

I love real christmas trees, but my parents were/are the same. Plastic tree every year. My mum is now a big fan of those ghastly fibre optic things! I said the other day that next year I'm going to get them a real one and decorate it properly, without hideous plastic tat!

Deb from WhatsInMyAttic said...

Great memories for you, I'm sure. There was period during my childhood that we had an aluminum (silver!) tree with a circle flood light that made it red.green.yellow.blue.red.green.yellow.blue.red.green.......
It was sooooo hideous, but it was the "in" thing and my mom was a modern kind of girl!

A garden just outside Venice said...

Aaah! Lovely to "meet" the Heartshaped hubby!
xxxxx

Rosie said...

Great story, Diane - something you'll never forget. I remember giggling fits on buses whilst travelling with friends too:) Love your tree - even though we lived in a village surrounded by woods and when he took early retirement my Dad helped my uncle out at his greengrocer's shop and they used to go to Chatsworth to collect trees to sell at the shop we never had a real one. It was always the old artificial one that lived in the loft for the rest of the year:)

Gilly said...

Love the story! Took me a while to orientate myself - we used to get on busses at the back at home! (that would be with a proper conductor, and nice little tickets that came out of a riack!)

I do remember, when I worked in London and commmuted from home, struggling with THREE large bunches of dahlias, on the tube and then the train. Couldn't see where I was going, it was a miracle I managed to get on the right train!

Jo said...

What a funny story, I'm sure all those people sat on the bus didn't laugh though. I love the smell of real trees, you just don't get that with artificial ones.

crafty cat corner said...

Hi Diane
We always had a real tree when the children were young, so lovely to smell and also we didn't have lots of cats to use it as a climbing frame then.
The worst part was taking it down after Christmas and hoovering the needles up for about a month afterwards, they used to get stuck in the carpet.
Although I don't do Christmas in a big way I do love the trees.
Can't wait to see yours all dressed up!

Sarah said...

Love the story! Ours has been sat in a bucket of water outside all week and we've just bought it in, the smell is gorgeous. Looking forward to seeing yours decorated.
x

diane b said...

That is hilarious. What a great christmas memory.

Scented Sweetpeas said...

Now you have made me want to bring home a tree on a bus :-) Love that story!

Jennyff said...

What a funny Christmas story. Nothing beats a real tree, despite the hassle of getting the the thing home and the dropping needles. Would you take a tree on the bus now if you had to, I hope so.

Unknown said...

Oh Diane - this really made me smile. I can just picture the scene in my head :0)
I think you should definitely make bringing the Xmas Tree home on the bus a family Christmas tradition.

Jill xxx

PS - what's this about sending Violet something in the post???? You're soooooo naughty. Honestly, my little daughter is so spoilt. xx

Unknown said...

Oh Diane I nearly wet myself laughing at you and your sister bringing the tree home on the bus! I can just imagine it and probably the comments you got. Did it have any needles still on it when you got it home?

Lx @ Twelve said...

Diane, that story! So funny, I laughed my way through it, imagining the shenanigans....

No more snow!! I am a broken women, although I did manage to get to see two patients this afternoon woo-hoo!

Ermm, I have several layers to keep me warm already, and another one on its way...!

Have a lovely weekend...

Lx

cieldequimper said...

What a hoot, that story! Ah but in America, they put it on top of the car! :-)

John Going Gently said...

christmas prep brings back so many memories eh?

Mandy said...

That is such a lovely story, I giggled whilst imagining you both laughing like hell as you squeezed it down the aisle of the bus.

I loved the American films too, with their lush Christmas tree's and over the top decorations, how I wished to have a tree like that as I looked at our folks moth eaten false tree with 15 year old chocolate decorations on!!! (my mother has improved things since then)