the halloween tree

When my children were very young, they loved the idea of having Christmas trees in their bedrooms. A small tree for each of them to decorate with lights and with their own favourite ornaments. Why not? So off we went to the nearest Christmas tree retailer and returned with two miniature trees.

The trees were promptly erected and decorated and for years they stood proudly in their respective rooms, shining brightly throughout the holiday season, serving as night lights for their owners during the long dark weeks of December. New ornaments were added each year. Snowmen. Rudolph. Star Wars M&M's. The little trees seemed well on their way to becoming a lasting tradition.

But then, one year . . . the trees languished in their boxes a little longer than usual and when they did emerge, were not decorated with the usual fervour. New ornaments remained unopened, and some nights the lights were simply left dark. Finally, this past December, despite the best of intentions, it became clear that the little trees were no longer wanted. They had been relegated to the world of Christmas Past. But the story doesn't end there. No. In fact, that is only the beginning.

Faced with the task of disposing of the rejected trees, I took the only logical course of action. I turned them into a Halloween tree. For a couple of years now, a Halloween tree has appealed to me, but any time I encounter one for sale, it has a horrifying price tag hanging from it. So why not create my own. But how? Should I just leave them as they were and paint them black? And did I want really want two small trees or . . .

A brief attempt was made at joining the trees vertically to create one larger tree, but soon the realization set in that, despite bendable branches, I was on the road to disaster. And then I had another idea. I reached for my wire cutters. At this point, a voice in my head said, "Stop! Maybe you should plan first." Indeed, many projects have fallen victim to my 'cut first, think later' approach. So I drew a quick sketch of the sort of tree I had in mind. Then I picked up my wire cutters. Sadly, one of the trees was required to sacrifice itself for the enhancement of the other, but now they are united as one taller, stronger specimen. A little cutting here. A little twisting there. A little black paint everywhere. And Santa himself wouldn't recognize them.

So the two little trees, now joined as one, stand proudly once again, awaiting appropriate adornment. Which means my next project will obviously have to be tree ornaments. Star Wars M&M's and snowmen just don't seem suitable.