{"id":626,"date":"2008-12-20T00:01:43","date_gmt":"2008-12-20T00:01:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2008\/12\/my-favorite-christmas-tree.html"},"modified":"2008-12-20T00:01:43","modified_gmt":"2008-12-20T00:01:43","slug":"my-favorite-christmas-tree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2008\/12\/my-favorite-christmas-tree.html","title":{"rendered":"My Favorite Christmas Tree"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’m a Christmas tree fanatic. I admit it. I love Christmas trees . . . their look, their feel, and their heavenly smell. So, as you can imagine, I’m not much into artificial trees, though I don’t criticize my friends who have sold out<\/strike> . . . um, well . . . decided to go with the convenience of a pitifully fake<\/strike> economically thrifty tree.
\nEver since Linda and I have had children, it has been my job to purchase and preserve the family Christmas tree. I have a whole system that guarantees the beauty and freshness of the tree, but I won’t bore you with that now.\u00a0 Honestly, I can get obsessive-compulsive about my Christmas tree.
\nAnyway, when we lived in Irvine, I tried several varieties of Christmas trees over the years, including Douglas Fir, Noble Fir, and Grand Noble. My usual preference was for the Noble Fir, becuase it stayed fresh for a long time and wasn’t as pricey as the Grand Nobles. One year I found a Fraser Fir<\/a>, unusual for California because Fraser Firs are grown in the southeastern United States. This was a fantastic tree: beautiful, pungent, long-lasting. But I could never find another Fraser Fir in Southern California after that one year.
\n\"christmasLast December, after our move to Texas, I was quite happy to find Fraser Firs on sale. Unfortunately, our rental house had very little room for a Christmas tree. So I ended up getting a relatively small Fraser Fir that we set up in the kitchen.
\nEarly in 2008 we were able to buy a home in Boerne, a home with high ceilings. So, as you can imagine, I set out in hot pursuit of a taller Fraser Fir. I found a great deal at Lowe’s for a nine-foot tree . . . just about what I would have spent in Irvine for a seven-footer. It was so heavy I couldn’t carry it by myself. A first!\u00a0 With help from my son, I managed to get the tree in place.
\nI put up the lights, as is my tradition. I’ve used different color schemes throughout the years. This year it was colored mini-lights. (Yes, yes, I know I should be using LED lights, but I still can’t get used to their peculiar color.) When I finished with the lights, Linda took it from there, putting up ribbons and most of the decorations. The rest of us added a few ornaments just to make it a family project.
\nYou can see a picture of the result of our efforts. This is my favorite Christmas tree, not only because of its size, but also its freshness and fullness. When the time comes, we’ll recycle the tree, thus slightly easing my green guilt.
\nI’ll close this post with a classic German folksong:<\/p>\n

O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
\nWie treu sind deine Bl\u00e4tter!
\nDu gr\u00fcnst nicht nur zur Sommerzeit,
\nNein auch im Winter, wenn es schneit.
\nO Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
\nWie treu sind deine Bl\u00e4tter!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n[youtube:http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=f_5EZVYJ5zM]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’m a Christmas tree fanatic. I admit it. I love Christmas trees . . . their look, their feel, and their heavenly smell. So, as you can imagine, I’m not much into artificial trees, though I don’t criticize my friends who have sold out . . . um, well . . . decided to go…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-holy-week-easter"],"yoast_head":"\nMy Favorite Christmas Tree - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=626"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}