Getting ready for Christmas

There's a new presence in our living room: our first-ever Noble Fir after years and years of Douglas Firs.

I guess that's appropriate because we're celebrating our first Christmas in our new home. And, in what might be a sign of things to come, we traveled a whole ten blocks from our home to buy our tree from a small commercial operation in a parking lot. Took about 20-25 minutes total to pick a tree, pay for it, get it tied to the rooftop and drive home -- a far cry from the half-day excursions we typically make to the fringes of Portland's urban growth boundary, requiring a few gallons of gas and a lunch stop. (Hey, with adult kids in tow, of course you're going to make time for a mid-day meal.)

Anyway, we bought the tree Saturday and had it decorated that same evening. Along with a string of Christmas lights and a stuffed snowman looking out onto the street, we're ready for the holidays.

Fact of the day: Oregon remains No. 1 in U.S. production of Christmas trees with 7.34 million trees sold last year at a value of nearly $110 million. Source: Oregon Department of Agriculture.