Christmas in California

You know you're experiencing Chrismas in California when you go shopping for a Christmas tree and the following things happen:

1. You're wearing flip flops while you're looking for a tree

2.  People searching for trees are wearing shorts and sweaters

3.  The guy helping you carry your tree to the car is wearing a wife-beater

All three of these things happened to me today while I went on what seemed to be a scavenger hunt for a Christmas tree.  I got out of bed, tossed on my adidas pants, pink flip flops and a green Irish People Rock t-shirt on a quest for the most perfect tree (or at least the easiest one to find that looked pretty).  I started off at Starbucks and headed over to the car wash.  I know,  I know.. Getting your car washed before you get a tree?  Look, the little thing needed a cleaning and I wasn't waiting any longer...  After getting the car clean and pretty, I headed over to Target in Culver City to find my tree.  I got there and to my surprise, the parking lot was full and there wasn't a smiling face in sight.  People suck.  I was happily surprised to find signs that pointed me to the back for the "Garden Center".  I hit the gas, turned the corner and giggled in my glee as I found a parking spot right away.  I went into the Garden Center and found stalls that said "8-9 ft Noble", "6-7 ft Noble" and "6-7 ft Douglas", etc.  I would have been happy just finding a pony in any of these stalls, as they were bare...  No trees in sight!  Curses.  I headed back over to Santa Monica and headed into the parking lot of OSH.  Here, I'm sure, would be the booty!  Nay...  once again, not a tree in sight.  They were sold out!  Sold out, I said!  How can this be?  Where have all my trees gone?  Who has taken my perfect tree?!  For that matter, who has taken the rest of the unperfect Charlie Brown type trees?!?!  In a last ditch effort, I headed to the little tree lot on the corner of Wilshire and 23rd St. in Santa Monica.  Yikes...  Lots of trees, a packed lot.  This can only mean one thing...  mucho cashola is going to be shelled out.  Frustrated, exhausted and unshowered, I headed into the lot and began looking at the huge selection of trees.  The price tags made me gasp...  $72 for a 6-7 ft Noble Christmas tree?!?!  That's robbery!  I turned around, ready to head back to my car and face the fact that I wasnt going to get a tree this year when out of the corner of my eye, I saw the perfect tree... There she was..  red tagged, standing tall, out in front where everyone could see her and calling my name.  I gave in, paid the bail to get this little gem out of tree jail and brought her home.  It took me only an hour or so to get her decorated... less than a 1/3 of the time it took to find her.  But, all in all, I guess it was worth it.  She's lovely and sitting in a happy home with a pooch laying in front of her.   Now I just need to wrap those gifts...

Comments

[D]

4. The fact that I still miss you so much during this time of year