Christmas Tree Shopping in China

So, our traditional Post-Thanksgiving outing to get a Christmas tree is a very important tradition for me. I am a Real Tree Purist, not to say Nazi. I love the experience of wandering through hundreds of 9 foot trees spread around a big lot, judging the pros and cons of each one, letting the kids weigh in on the all-important topics of species, height, smell, etc. It's magic that sends me straight back to my childhood.

Which brings me to Beijing.

Here we are, perusing the local selection of Christmas trees. Which are, of course, displayed along the shoulder of the busy-ish road and spread along the treacherous edge of the canal bridge. Of COURSE they are. They are also, lest you fail to notice, in pots, and five feet tall.

None of this had any dampening effect on our tree-purchasing enthusiasm. A Real Tree Purist like me would much rather have a 6 foot tall, slightly mis-shapen, wickedly prickly, overly expensive (for China) real tree than a perfect, prelit, soulless monstrosity tree.

And that was even before I found out the procedure. After your tree-in-a-pot has been delivered (by bicycle), and after you have scraped your hands into oblivion hanging lights that you have to run through a transformer so you won't burn the house down, and after Christmas is all over with--you get to plant your tree in the backyard! Just for a year, though. Because next December, you can just dig it back up, put it back in its pot and voila! Christmas Tree 2010.

I love China.