One of our family traditions is to buy a living Christmas tree in a planter, use it for two or three years, and then plant it outside when it gets too big to haul in and out of the house. Six or seven years ago we discovered the Ideal Tree: a smallish Nordmann Fir. It had beautiful soft “needles” that weren’t needly or prickly at all, so our hands didn’t get scratched up when we were stringing the lights on and hanging the ornaments. It was the perfect shade of dark holly green. It wasn’t quite as elegant as a Noble Fir, but it was much, much less expensive than that princely species. It was a friendly, charming tree and we loved it. I think it lasted for three Christmases before it outgrew its pot and had to be planted out in the yard. Here’s a current picture of good old Nordmann:

I’d love to have one of those every year, but for some reason they’re ridiculously hard to find. Usually we have to settle for spruces, which are prickly, and sometimes we have to settle for Blue Spruces, which are prickly and also the wrong color and clash with our decorations. But every year we search diligently for a Nordmann Fir, preferably a smallish one that can be reused for a few years.

And yesterday: SUCCESS!

It’s the perfect size: a little over five feet tall including the planter, which means it shouldn’t need to be planted out until 2013 at the earliest. It is soft and friendly-looking and charming and I love it.

Welcome to the family, little Nordmann II. May you grace our home for many Christmases to come, and our yard for a few hundred years after that.

Happy Love Thursday, All! What are your favorite holiday traditions?