THIS MORNING...

... we're going out to look at Christmas trees.
This is likely to be stressful!
Charles has his mind set on a rooted, potted tree. I am THINKING about this, but don't want one if it is just a puny little thing - which it probably will be because I've never seen any 6 foot trees in pots.
We've had a look at the space in the lounge - and admittedly it isn't great - so we don't want one like last year which basically filled the sunroom so much that you couldn't get in there. The reason for this is that we chose one that was growing in a little forest! No we didn't go out in the dead of night with our torches and a saw! - it was quite legitimate, from a farm just outside our village. In fact it was the second year we had done this and probably should have learned from the previous year! You see, when you pick your tree from a forest, even if you chose the smallest, it tends to be HUGE when you get it into your house. It's like when you go and buy a new sofa. In the vastness of the showroom they all look quite small and neat, but in your modest living room they suddenly swell to gigantic proportions. Well, that's exactly what happened with these trees. Out in the open, they looked relatively small, but once we got them home it was a different story.
So, to get back to the point - even I don't want a monster tree, but nor do I want a pathetic excuse for one either.
I can feel a tense morning coming on. Obviously we will only buy one if a) it is rooted and b) it is big enough - because if we get a cut tree today it'll be dead by Christmas.
Charles has even mentioned artificial trees this morning. Clearly he has forgotten that we did have one a few years ago - a very realistic looking one - but we gave it away to someone when we decided that only real would do!!!
Actually, some of the new artificial trees are very good, apart from those stupid upside down ones and the very skinny ones that are designed to fit in tiny spaces. Some even come pre-lit, which is a great idea I think. But you can never get away from the naffness of the stand and the fact that it just doesn't have that lovely smell. Perhaps manufacturers ought to consider these aspects in future - surely they could make trees that smell of pine, or maybe you'd end up with something that smells like loo  cleaner, so perhaps it's not a good idea.
Anyway, I'm rambling, better go...