Tree Fluffing

There is an often overlooked ritual at Christmas Time called Tree Fluffing. Those who journey forth and retrieve live cut trees only experience this in small doses as those little buggers flop their branches merrily helter skelter when they are released from their nets sending fragrant needles barreling through the house that you will be chasing till after the new year (and cleaning up in piles of cat puke for long after that).

Those who have decided to be a little more eco and budget friendly know this ritual intimately. As it takes a good 30-45 minutes to fluff a 7 foot pre-lit artificial tree every year. We release them from their musty boxes, assemble and set to work diving in and around smashed branches, unfolding, straightening, spreading, arranging until our tree has taken its graceful shape once more.

My darling husband who always assembles and fluffs for me, refused to fluff this year, determining that it was my turn since he had done it the past four years. So while that is the one thing I absolutely despise doing, I did it. I figured it was only fair as I did not help bring up any of the storage boxes from the basement. He took a picture to prove at some point in time, I actually fluffed a tree.

My black yoga pants and ratty Old Navy T-shirt aren’t the most festive get-up but definitely comfortable for the task of tree fluffing. The Christmas Season has officially begun!

Merry Christmas and Happy Tree Fluffing!