The end of a tree

I didn’t go on about it too much at the time, but Christmas this year was amazing. My husband worked his butt off finishing up various construction projects in time for the big day, and we decorated the house so beautifully I never wanted to go to sleep; I just wanted to wander from room to room for days on end saying drippy things like “Oooooh, pretty lights!” and “Ribbons and pine cones – how tasteful!”

Yeah, I know. Pathetic. But it really did look nice.

We fulfilled one of my lifelong Christmas fantasies this year: we had two trees – the living room tree, and another one in our bedroom. (Yes, they were both live. We don’t do plastic.) I didn’t think about the implications of removing the upstairs tree when I was decorating it. I was too busy drooling and saying “Pretty lights!”

Yesterday while I was obsessing about the details of the ending of my novel, my husband took care of tree removal.

Image hosting by TinyPic First, he butchered it.

Image hosting by TinyPic He swears it didn’t feel a thing.

Image hosting by TinyPic Yes, he is defenestrating the tree. “This way we won’t have so many needles to clean up,” he explained. (He was right.)

Image hosting by TinyPic Goodbye, dear Christmas tree.

I have never watched a Christmas tree go out a second-story window before, but I have to admit, it was kind of fun.

I’ll be fussing with the ending some more today, in between taking my mom to a couple of doctors appointments. Roger from the Horn Book shared a great link to the true story behind Go Ask Alice yesterday. There is a great quote in the New York Times today that helped me clarify the lines between memoir, non-fiction, and fiction:

“But William Zinsser, the author of several classic studies of the memoir genre, including “Writing About Your Life: A Journey Into the Past,” said the most important element in the genre’s power is truth.

“I think that the strength of the memoir comes from history and from the truth of what people did and what they thought and experienced,” Mr. Zinsser said. “That is more rich, more surprising and funny and emotional and compelling than anything that could be invented.””

That sums it up nicely, don’t you think?

78 Replies to “The end of a tree”

  1. “Oh no he di-in’t!”

    That’s pretty hilarious, although I do feel bad for the poor tree. 🙁

    And thanks for the link to Go Ask Alice – sounds fascinating!

  2. “Oh no he di-in’t!”

    That’s pretty hilarious, although I do feel bad for the poor tree. 🙁

    And thanks for the link to Go Ask Alice – sounds fascinating!

  3. “Oh no he di-in’t!”

    That’s pretty hilarious, although I do feel bad for the poor tree. 🙁

    And thanks for the link to Go Ask Alice – sounds fascinating!

  4. That is definitely an unusual sight. I wonder if the tree incident will show up in one of your future books.

    I just finished reading SPEAK. What an amazing book! I have a date rape scene in my YA WIP. Thank you for showing me how using a few well selected words can be more powerful in certain situations.

  5. That is definitely an unusual sight. I wonder if the tree incident will show up in one of your future books.

    I just finished reading SPEAK. What an amazing book! I have a date rape scene in my YA WIP. Thank you for showing me how using a few well selected words can be more powerful in certain situations.

  6. That is definitely an unusual sight. I wonder if the tree incident will show up in one of your future books.

    I just finished reading SPEAK. What an amazing book! I have a date rape scene in my YA WIP. Thank you for showing me how using a few well selected words can be more powerful in certain situations.

  7. My husband is a tree hucker, too. He usually throws ours off our deck. This year we had a storm with really high winds around New Year’s. A very, very tall and thick Jeffery Pine tree fell and hit our neighbors’ deck. I pleaded with my husband to gently place our tree outside this year for good tree karma.

  8. My husband is a tree hucker, too. He usually throws ours off our deck. This year we had a storm with really high winds around New Year’s. A very, very tall and thick Jeffery Pine tree fell and hit our neighbors’ deck. I pleaded with my husband to gently place our tree outside this year for good tree karma.

  9. My husband is a tree hucker, too. He usually throws ours off our deck. This year we had a storm with really high winds around New Year’s. A very, very tall and thick Jeffery Pine tree fell and hit our neighbors’ deck. I pleaded with my husband to gently place our tree outside this year for good tree karma.

  10. Ha!

    The poor tree..I love the pictures!

    Ms. Anderson, I want to tell you that you have motivated me to keep my own livejournal. I am thinking of subscribing so I can have all the bells and whistles too, but now that I have started, I cannot stop. My regular journal grows dusty since i have been so busy lately and I am so happy to feel like I am doing something more productive!

    The suthor report was funny. Now, what suburb outside Syracuse (I grew up in Liverpool myself.)

  11. Ha!

    The poor tree..I love the pictures!

    Ms. Anderson, I want to tell you that you have motivated me to keep my own livejournal. I am thinking of subscribing so I can have all the bells and whistles too, but now that I have started, I cannot stop. My regular journal grows dusty since i have been so busy lately and I am so happy to feel like I am doing something more productive!

    The suthor report was funny. Now, what suburb outside Syracuse (I grew up in Liverpool myself.)

  12. Ha!

    The poor tree..I love the pictures!

    Ms. Anderson, I want to tell you that you have motivated me to keep my own livejournal. I am thinking of subscribing so I can have all the bells and whistles too, but now that I have started, I cannot stop. My regular journal grows dusty since i have been so busy lately and I am so happy to feel like I am doing something more productive!

    The suthor report was funny. Now, what suburb outside Syracuse (I grew up in Liverpool myself.)

  13. You know what’s sad about taking a Christmas Tree down? You know, after picking it out, decorating it up, trying to keep the kids and pets away from it, stocking it full with gifts and what not?

    Realizing just how small it is after you chuck it.

    At least ours did! =D

  14. You know what’s sad about taking a Christmas Tree down? You know, after picking it out, decorating it up, trying to keep the kids and pets away from it, stocking it full with gifts and what not?

    Realizing just how small it is after you chuck it.

    At least ours did! =D

  15. You know what’s sad about taking a Christmas Tree down? You know, after picking it out, decorating it up, trying to keep the kids and pets away from it, stocking it full with gifts and what not?

    Realizing just how small it is after you chuck it.

    At least ours did! =D

  16. Poor tree! Hee hee, “defenestrate” has the be one of the coolest words in the English language. Though I suppose we probably just stole it from the French, like usual.

  17. Poor tree! Hee hee, “defenestrate” has the be one of the coolest words in the English language. Though I suppose we probably just stole it from the French, like usual.

  18. Poor tree! Hee hee, “defenestrate” has the be one of the coolest words in the English language. Though I suppose we probably just stole it from the French, like usual.

  19. yeah, sure. Now that the tree is famous it’ll go on to write a book and we’ll all end up trying to decide to watch it on Letterman or Leno!

  20. yeah, sure. Now that the tree is famous it’ll go on to write a book and we’ll all end up trying to decide to watch it on Letterman or Leno!

  21. yeah, sure. Now that the tree is famous it’ll go on to write a book and we’ll all end up trying to decide to watch it on Letterman or Leno!

  22. Yeah. Ours is a fake tree, but we’re still too lazy to take it apart and put it in the box. We duct tape the “trunk” together so it doesn’t come apart, throw a garbage bag over it, and stuff it in the basement until next December.

  23. Yeah. Ours is a fake tree, but we’re still too lazy to take it apart and put it in the box. We duct tape the “trunk” together so it doesn’t come apart, throw a garbage bag over it, and stuff it in the basement until next December.

  24. Yeah. Ours is a fake tree, but we’re still too lazy to take it apart and put it in the box. We duct tape the “trunk” together so it doesn’t come apart, throw a garbage bag over it, and stuff it in the basement until next December.

  25. Haha! Poor tree!

    I haven’t read your books yet, but I just wanted to tell you that I’m in speech and debate at my high school and I’ve seen Speak performed several times in tournaments and it’s amazing. I have the highest respect for you for your ability to say so much wish so little words.

  26. Haha! Poor tree!

    I haven’t read your books yet, but I just wanted to tell you that I’m in speech and debate at my high school and I’ve seen Speak performed several times in tournaments and it’s amazing. I have the highest respect for you for your ability to say so much wish so little words.

  27. Haha! Poor tree!

    I haven’t read your books yet, but I just wanted to tell you that I’m in speech and debate at my high school and I’ve seen Speak performed several times in tournaments and it’s amazing. I have the highest respect for you for your ability to say so much wish so little words.

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  29. Your Violent Icon

    reflects the reverse extreme of male strength abuse. Not a positive value addition.

  30. Your Violent Icon

    reflects the reverse extreme of male strength abuse. Not a positive value addition.

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