xmas trees: a lesson learned?

i just cleaned up the remains of our (very) crispy, dead xmas tree. i actually only completed step one of two, which was to strip the ornaments and lights (and half the needles) off the skeleton, and haul the carcass out to the back porch. the curbside tree pickup doesn't happen till next week, so it'll have to decay a bit more outside before it gets taken off my hands for good.

last year was my first time having a real xmas tree of my own, and i loved the smell of pine indoors, and the tradition of decorating. however, after new years '07, i realized what a mess they are to clean up, and what a hassle to throw out. i still had pine needles in my chevy blazer almost a year later. the lesson i did learn for this year is to not miss the curbside tree pickup No Matter What, so the tree doesn't have to go in your car at all.

the lesson i apparently didn't learn was to water the tree so it doesn't become a crispy brown mess. next year i vow to either take better care of my xmas tree, or get something that looks like this amazingly awesome, sparkly, fantastic tree outside the visionary art museum. because my inner crow wants one!

p.s. shiny happy things workshop? so there!