Almost Christmas

All right--not really, but considering it's two paychecks away. It's a lot closer than I like. I'm thinking about a tree, and thinking is probably as far as I'll go. Last year my youngest son bought a huge tree--the biggest we've ever had. The Christmas ornaments looked like a penny's worth of caviar on a blini. I went out, bought more, and it was still sparse.

This year he says, "Is it time for the cheap tree?" And after I finished kicking myself for not buying a fancy pre-lit clearance tree last year, I said, "yes, it is. And don't forget to cut the end off, so the tree can absorb water."

Last year he forgot, and that thing was so dry I was afraid to turn the lights on. When we finally threw it away, all the needles fell off, and I was still sweeping needles off the front porch in March.

The guy across the street from me has his holiday lights up. He put them up the day after Halloween. It makes me miss my old neighborhood. Across the street, where I could see it from the window of my bedroom, there was a single decoration. Bright neon red like a beer sign.

"Believe"