For the record, I want everyone to know that no trees were harmed this past year as my family and I celebrated Christmas. Let me repeat NO TREES WERE HARMED.

That’s right.
We went green last year!

In previous years we would venture out to choose the perfect tree. It went something like this. No, that one’s too lopsided. Mmm, too wide at the bottom. Too scrawny … it looks like a Charlie Brown tree. Ahh, perfect. Let’s hurry up and get it before someone else does! Then we drag it to the front, pay for it and throw it on top of the SUV and head home.

Last year we picked up a GE pre-lit tree. It takes five minutes to pull out of the box and assemble. The best part are the lights. You just plug it in.

I could say the main reason we went green was to save several trees over the next few years. That’s true. The truth is that it’s fast and easy. No more needles all over the floor. No more sap all over my arms or scratches when stringing the lights. No more shelling out 100 bucks per tree every year for a real tree.

In the end, we did save trees, money, and time. More importantly, we had a great Christmas because our family was together. The tree was merely there – a bit player in our memories.