As we count down the days to Christmas,
some planning to spend the holidays in Puerto Vallarta are preparing to
decorate a Christmas tree. If you have
been to any grocery or department store in the past few weeks, no doubt you
will have already seen artificial trees and decorations for sale. The first two weeks of December are the
primary time real trees are available and sold through the stores or nurseries.

In addition to artificial trees and real
trees, I decided to try something different this year. I decided to rent a living tree! The price is about the same as artificial or
real trees and the same size. The
benefits over artificial trees are that you do not have to store it for the
other 11 months of the year, and it has a beautiful pine scent. The benefits compared to a real tree is that
you do not have to sacrifice a living tree.
You also do not have the hassle of picking it up and then later
disposing of it.

It was easy to order. I contacted the representative from the
company and told her the size I wanted.
Two days later, at the arranged time, they delivered the tree and a pot. The tree is a Mexican pine, so it smells
lovely. They planted the tree in the
pot, added water, and told me to water it daily when the soil felt dry.

Strangely, I feel different about a living
tree than when I had an artificial or a cut tree. It feels more like a living being in your
home, which compelled me to give him a name.
Fred is now living with us and starting to get used to his new
environment. It will be his until the
end of January when the company returns to pick him up and replant him in his
regular home. Fred has dropped some
needles, which is what the rental company told me would happen and is
usual. The disruption of being moved
from his regular home, a truck ride and then repotted in our house is a bit
stressful. So, he will drop some of his
needles, but they will quickly grow back over the next couple of weeks.

I am amazed at how fast Fred grows. I grew up on a property in Canada where we
produced and sold Christmas trees. Our
Scots pines took years to get to a height that people could use them for a
holiday tree. In Mexico, pine trees go
quickly. Fred is about 4 feet, 5 inches
already (without the pot), and he is only about seven months old. Either Fred is in the top 5% of trees his
age, or this is just how fast pine trees grow here. (I like to think that we managed to get a
smarter and more enthusiastic tree than the average.)

  I have been waiting for Fred to get a bit
used to the place before we start decking him out with lights, bows and
ornaments. I am used to Christmas trees
that have a fair bit of space between branches.
Fred doesn’t have any room. He is
densely packed already with his needles and branches. This lack of space shall be interesting when
it comes to dressing him up.

One of the tips the rental company gave me,
which has been useful, is to take a wine bottle, fill it with water and stick
it upside down in the pot. When Fred is
thirsty, he will help himself to the water.
This tip worked quite well for me too.
We did not have an empty bottle, and I felt quite generous drinking the
wine just to do something nice for a tree!

I am already starting to dread when they
come to take Fred away. Separation
anxiety over a tree? Can I request Fred
every year? Will Fred remember me? Will he be the height of a giraffe by
Christmas 2021? Should I tell the
company Fred died and keep him forever?
Did I correctly understand that I am supposed to drink a new bottle of
wine every time Fred’s bottle gets empty and give him a new bottle too?

Ah, the challenges of the holidays!

Are you looking to rent a Fred? Or do you need some furniture for your new
home in Puerto Vallarta? Stop by our
store at 363A Constitucion just off of Basilio Badillo (where the buses
are). We’d love to meet you!