Will the tree make it another year? | Life in Ludlow

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Thanksgiving was great with nice weather, family gatherings, excellent food, fine wine, pro football, college football, World Cup “futbol,” and even a kickball game. (I was a pinch kicker, kicking for my son with a grandson running for me. Pictures are available.) 

With Thanksgiving behind us, Christmas action is now full speed ahead with sales, music, parties, fundraisers, cards/letters/pictures, travel during bad weather, more excellent food, more fine wine, and more sports involving feet. 

We have not put up a Christmas tree for several years due to a lack of visitors, the COVID, and just laziness. 

We have a well-traveled artificial tree that exhibits some scars since it has been used regularly over the years and then stored poorly in the basement. No matter, our daughter and her family were visiting from Seattle last weekend with their two sons and all insisted we needed to put up a tree and then decorate it since they plan to return around Christmas. 

The tree has some attached lights, 60 percent of which are unfortunately inoperable. As you may know, artificial trees also have wire “branches” which can be bent back to facilitate repair when they are bent accidentally during any transportation, like from the basement to the living room. 

In the past, BJ and I have carried the tree up causing a little more damage during each transit. That chore fell to the son-in-law this year since he was available. The tree has been erected, the usable lights on the tree are not plugged in, other lights have been put on the tree, and BJ has hung many of our family’s meaningful ornaments on it. 

It may look somewhat better than Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tree, but there could be a reasonable alternate opinion. 

My friends, I think this wonderfully decorated and appreciated substitute for a beautiful fir tree may not make it to next Christmas. Of course, I may hold on to it given the prices one has to pay for a Christmas tree, be it large, small, artificial, or real!

Only a hermit would not know about “Black Friday” or “Cyber Monday” sales. I heard Friday saw over $10 billion in sales followed by $11 billion on Monday! 

A regularly emailed newsletter about car stuff held a tantalizing advertisement I was unable to resist. The offer was 50 percent off of a holder for a sponge you can attach to your sink. Usually after dinner I can be found washing the dishes and I was drawn to the usefulness of the hold and was absolutely amazed I could buy it for 51 cents. Shipping was included. 

OK, I now get a couple of emails per day from these folks, but I am real curious about the potential success of the whole transaction. Come on, a handy dishwashing aid through an auto newsletter for 51 cents and I can “unsubscribe” from their advertising. There must be a hitch. 

It is reported that somebody named Robert Paul once said, “Even before Christmas has said ‘Hello,’ it’s saying ‘Buy Buy.’” Probably not sponge holders, though.

The local party season kicks off this weekend in Port Ludlow with the Christmas Tree Lighting and singing in the village center this coming Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Santa Claus will be there, too, providing additional fuel for dental visits. 

I look forward to seeing you there as you take time off from writing your Christmas letter and addressing envelopes to all those folks you haven’t thought about for a year.

Love a curmudgeon cuz’ Santa’s a’comin’ to Town! 

(Ned Luce is a retired IBM executive and Port Ludlow resident who knows a bargain when he sees it. Ask him about his 79-cent potato scrubber. Contact Ned at ned@ptleader.com.)