Festive Shades of Lime Green

At first glance, you might suspect that I forgot to
check the white balance settings on my camera when
photographing the tree.  Unfortunately, this is not the
case.  These are the true colors.  Yup, lime green.

With Christmas nearing, the need for a tree was starting to grow.  So, last weekend, I went out into the forest and cut down a Christmas tree.  While such efforts typically require a saw and some twine, this year these items were not needed.  My tree stands about 50cm tall and has a trunk the diameter of your pinky finger.  However, despite its small stature, it abounds in its Christmas cheer.  As tradition holds, after cutting it down...or rather, after snapping it off from a much larger tree, I hauled it back to my flat where I enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate while thinking about how best to display it.

With O Little Town of Bethlehem playing quietly in the background and pine scents wafting through the room, I began with the decorations.  The first to go on were the lights.  Recently, the shops had sales on Christmas lights, so I had picked up a strand earlier in the week.  Now you must understand that every strand of lights displayed in the shop were white.  So, upon arriving home, I was surprised to find that my lights glowed lime green when plugged in.  (I must have missed this small detail somewhere on the Finnish packaging.)  Trying to get over the fact that my lights looked like a chemistry experiment gone awry, I proceeded to gently tie them to my tree.

Next came the ornaments.  This year, all ornaments are homemade—origami cranes, two dimensional candy canes, a small nativity scene, a green and red paper chain, and a star made of the finest yellow paper I could find.  In addition to these more traditional items, I also made the second annual Christmas Dinosaur.  This year's design is a t-rex suspended from the tree's limbs with a thin red ribbon.  The dinosaur is made of dull orange paper with brown eyes.  It has two small arms and one large tail.

Last year's Christmas Dinos—a sauropod and t-rex
(along with a few other ornaments my family made)

This year's Christmas Dinosaur—an origami t-rex

After several hours of stringing lights, making ornaments and guzzling hot cocoa, my tree was complete.  With its delicate branches and obnoxious green lights, it sits on the bookshelf to the left of my desk.  It sits there reminding me of the fast approaching holiday.  Reminding me that I will get to see my family in less than two weeks.