Bringing in the tree

The first Noel in Vernon for all of us is fast approaching.  I have spent every Christmas since I moved west in Victoria with mom and dad and Barbara and Terry.  Jay, May and the girls say that Christmas in Korea is a very 'maimed rite.'  So this year we are going to do it right.  At first I thought we would never get underway, but that's because I'm still getting used to Filipino teenage time.  I had the weekend schedule planned.  On Saturday we would drive up to Silver Star to watch the turning on of their Christmas lights.  I've seen it once before.  It's a beautiful spectacle with hot chocolate, blazing fire pits and tall dark spruce instantly glistening with lights.  We didn't do that.  My enthusiasm was not contagious enough to infect two teenage girls intent on becoming the most popular people in their schools.  Dates and sleepovers came first.  My hopes were dimmed for Sunday.  Would we make it to the Christmas Tree Ranch in Lumby to get our tree.  I had never been there, but the web site looked good.  MILAGRO!!!!!  We went.

Everyone was keen.  We took two cars; mine for the tree and Jay's for the gang.  I got us lost, but that just meant we drove down more backroads in the Lumby countryside.  The ranch was great: lots of trees, an outdoor fire with benches around it and a workshop/ hot chocolate place to warm up in.  We went for a walk along a semi frozen stream to a perfect miniature house and back to the main ranch. Jay had brought a saw because we intended to cut our own tree, but just before heading out we decided to look at the pre cut trees; one of them was plump and the perfect height.  The tree rancher came over to explain that it had been cut earlier in the morning and then abandoned by the feckless people who found it because they had broken its top branch.  We happily bought the orphan at a $10.00 discount. We don't have an angel to place at the top anyway.  It filled my car from door to door to door.  From that moment everything went from Filipino/teenage time to a New York minute.  Jin Hee and Jay put up the tree.  It was Jin's first time and she wasn't spared either the excitement or the cursing that always goes with that ritual.  Jay began confident in and proud of the tree stand he had bought, but he descended into frustration and the odd curse as he struggled to make it work, while Jin and I took turns holding it and Min Hee sat near by, looking up from her cell phone once in a while when asked to tell us whether the tree was perpendicular to the floor or not.  Before this part of the season's traditions was completed, I left to enjoy a Sunday hot tub and dinner with Mo and John, as I do every week.  When I returned around 9:00pm, the house was transformed for Christmas.  The tree was alight, decorated and even had presents under it.  It turned out that May, planning ahead as usual and only too eager to shop, had beaten us all and bought some Christmas presents last week.  The lights were strung in the livingroom window and the whole house was aglow.  Today there are even more gifts under the tree.

So  our first Vernon Noel is well underway.

At the ranch

Walking along the stream

Skiing with Mo today

Our chubby tree