The plan was to be sensible, to be a good steward of the earth. I bought a live Christmas tree this weekend. No, by “live” I do not mean a tree that once was living before it was cut down. I mean a tree from a nursery, with a root ball, that could be planted after the holidays. We chose a splendid little Leyland cypress that will look great in that big patch of lawn to the west of the house. However, upon getting it home, we began to notice it was a little thin. And a little misshapen. And a little… ugly. The next day, I went back to town and plunked down good money for a “live” fir that had been whacked from some Christmas-tree farm. It is a story of defeat, one I’m not proud to tell. However, the little Leyland cypress, given a few years, still will look great in the middle of the lawn. I plan to put lights on it!