By JODI RALL
In the Bubble columnist

I’m not kidding.

When we were first married, we had a cat who liked to sleep in our Christmas tree. And, sometimes knock it over.
One year while celebrating our daughter’s first birthday with friends and family, our tree went crashing down. My mother and I shed tears as some of the ornaments passed on from my grandmother were broken.

Being a great father-in-law my dad took the hubby aside. “Son, you need to fix this,” he told him.

But until we purchased a super duper tree stand, it still happened every year. Thankfully we now have changed that tradition – I hope. (Our big tree is not up yet, so keep those fingers crossed.)

That is if we get a big tree this year.

You might have heard hell freezing over just a little bit this past weekend. My husband’s conversation with the family started something like this: “I’m just not into it this year. It’s such a hassle.”  

Yes, the dreaded real tree that he speaks of can be the cause for many a headache and I might have something to do with that. Shocking, I know.

You see when I visit the tree lot, the trees don’t look ‘too’ big. Sometimes in my zest to buy the perfect tree, I get a little carried away. Last year, case in point, our tree took over the family room. The furniture looked tiny in comparison to the tree that belonged in a celestial mansion, not in my home. If you are thinking what I’m thinking, the visual coming to mind is Chevy Chase from Christmas Vacation.

Friends have been trying to help by making suggestions for where to get the perfect tree this year, or allowing me to see how they decorate their trees. Here are a few;

Tom and Becky Keck each year go about an hour south of Brentwood and cut down their tree on a tree farm. Even though their boys are in college, they have kept the tradition going. Last Friday instead of Black Friday shopping, the Keck family took their annual pilgrimage to find their tree.

I stopped over on Saturday to admire it. I had to laugh as Becky shared, “Tom thinks it’s a little too big, but I think the tree is perfect.”

Friends Nikki and Greg Miller purchased their tree at Costco for $29.95. The tree is beautiful and perfect for their home. I’m glad Nikki is practical about trees as we both are bleeding hearts with animals. While I was hoping for a juicy story about how her two cats and three dogs had knocked the tree over, it wasn’t to be.

Why does everyone else have nice calm homes?

My husband cannot complain about one little old tree when he learns about Margee and Scott Raplee’s home. This couple has a tree in almost every room of their Brentwood home. Most impressive is that Margee herself makes all her own bows and decorates for more than three weeks to get everything just right.

The trees – which come in all sizes -- are simply gorgeous. Margee made me laugh as she asked “Do you think it is OK?”

It’s more than OK, my friend, you have outdone yourself. (You can see the trees for yourself this Sunday. Click here for details)

Now, back to my reality. As I write this, we have not yet purchased a tree. I do plan on stopping by the Santa’s Trees lot in the next day or two to pick up branches for decorating as it is one tradition I never miss.

But hopefully you’ll see me tooling around town with a tree on top of my white Suburban soon. And you will know once again that my husband has abided by that magic unspoken rule,  “If Mama isn’t happy, then nobody’s happy.”

Jodi Rall is a special events coordinator and publicist who lives with her husband, four children, two dogs and various other pets in Brentwood. She has been known to play tennis. Contact her at jodi@brentwoodhomepage.com. Follow her "Jodi in the Bubble" blog by Clicking here.