TBT: Christmas, 1965

In 1965 Judy and I were living in our little apartment on Normal Street in Denton and having our first Christmas together.  We bought our little tree (that's it on the left) at an A&P grocery store and immediately decided that would be our Christmas tradition.  I don't know how many years after that we bought our trees at A&P, but the tradition lasted for all our Austin years and extended into the Brownwood years for a while.   The decorations on that tree are some of the ones on our tree this year. 

Eventually we decided it was time to get an artificial tree because the real ones were causing problems.  The needles they dropped on the carpet were bad enough, clogging up the vacuum and almost burning up the motor.  The tree was so dry by the time Christmas rolled around that it was a serious fire hazard. 

We found a plastic tree on sale at T.G.&Y. after Christmas and bought it to use the next year.  It wasn't long afterward that the A&P in Brownwood closed its doors forever, but I'm sure there was no connection.

The artificial tree inspired me to poetic heights I've never reached since.  I may have posted this poem before, but here it is again:

PLASTIC XMAS

Underneath my plastic tree
are plastic presents, wrapped with glee
and plastic tape as you can see.
Nearby there's a nativity
(made of plastic, naturally)
with its plastic babe fast asleep
and plastic shepherds that quietly creep,
as plastic angels from the rooftop peep.

Beside it stand my plastic wife, 
my plastic children . . .
my plastic life.