Worst online shopping results ever! We ordered 8 boxes of Harry and David's usually deliciious pears to give to friends and neighbors and share with guests. Guaranteed for arrival by Christmas - December 24. Well, it is December 28 and we are still empty-handed. Such an embarrassment and a huge disappointment. Their explanation December 24? They have a new arrangement with FedEx to use SmartMail - if ever there were a misnomer. FedEx handed the boxes off to the post office somewhere in Maryland. Our mail comes out of Richmond, so there's no apparent sense to this. Given that FedEx made numerous stops here Dec. 23 and Dec. 24, we wished Harry and David had used normal, reliable FedEx delivery like other vendors. Amazon, WinterSilks, Gardeners' Supply, Duncraft - our orders placed even two days after the Harry and David order all arrived Wed-Fri, on or ahead of schedule. Called our post office today, Tuesday, December 28, and they have nothing. Pears are making no appearance these holidays, it seems.

Latest ever, just 5 days before Christmas! What a difference it makes to have the tree. Our ornaments: oyster shells, of course - what's a Chesapeake Bay tree without oyster shells? I've sprayed most of them with gold paint. Then sand dollars, all natural save the ribbon trim. Red apples, for my New York state of mind. Crosses and paper cutouts from Denmark. Santa on the Eiffel Tower and Santa on the Tower of Pisa, for fun and memories of many trips. And lots of musician-angels, for the season.

Finally went to get a Christmas tree today - very late, but no matter, the tree is as fresh as they get. One of the benefits of country living. We don't get our trees from a store lot, but rather Macey's Christmas Tree farm, just a couple miles away, on Stampers Bay Road. There are acres of white pine, Scotch pine (my choice), Canadian fir, Norway spruce, blue ice, Leyland cypress, all nicely lined up, and well spaced so they grow evenly. It can take me a while to choose my tree, there are so many beautiful ones, but once I'd made my selection, I could just let Macey's folks do the work. They cut the tree, then hauled it off on wheels to the stand where they shake the tree to get all the loose and dead needles and branches off. It's very effective. [The first photo shows them with my tree after shaking it.] Then the tree trunk is bored deeply enough to sit securely on the tree stand's spike. I asked for the bottom six inches of branches to be sawn off: no problem. Then onto a bed where the tree is quickly wrapped in netting, all snug and easy to transport.

Home and immediately onto the stand in the living room, warm water in the basin. I went with a smaller tree this year, just 6' - last year's was up to the ceiling. But it's nearly as wide as it is tall, and we think it's beautiful. I wouldn't consider getting a tree from anywhere else, as long as I'm here in Virginia. Oh, and what did we pay? $34 for that 6-footer. I know my city-dwelling friends will envy that.