Tree Day

We were walking through the field when she said it.  "Mommy?  Do you know that we don't care if we get a tree here?" They just like to be there, at the tree farm. Do the ride on the wagon, see the trees, drink hot chocolate, sit on Santa's lap.  The tree isn't a big deal.  So after trekking through the field for 30 minutes and hunting for a tree that made us all happy and wouldn't cost a million dollars, while we grumbled and listened to other families squabble about which tree to choose, we all broke into smiles when she said it.  Then we decided to head home and just put up our fake tree that was already waiting for us in the basement.  We did what we wanted to do - had breakfast at the spot near the tree farm, visited, bundled up, spent the morning together.  The actual tree was just an afterthought in the grand scheme of it all.  Sometimes I need reminders like that.  It's not about the thing, it's about memories and traditions and time together.