How Green Becomes Wood

"Good plan," Cooger nodded, "I'd have to really try to talk you out of things if you chose one that would be shorter than your dad, especially with how tall your ceilings are. I know last year we got a Blue Spruce, but they have pretty sharp needles and now you've got a little sister who crawls around who'll probably cry if one pricks her."
 
"The Fraser Fir is pretty good," Cooger said, "They're fragrant, hold ornaments well, and don't drop needles like a mot--like a bi---like hell." He cast his eyes over the tree Xander suggested, walking around it slowly, "What do you think, Alec, do you hear singing?"
 
Cooger chuckled and kept walking, heading deeper into the woods, saw slung over his shoulder, "I gotta get a little one to put up at my place, 'course the kittens may well climb right into it. When I'd go with my folks, they'd sometimes take hours to pick a tree." He pointed out to one, which looked pretty full and vibrant and started walking closer towards it, "What about that one for your place?"
 
The twins scampered toward Cooger's chosen tree and looked around it.

"Is it tall enough?" Alec asked as Xander asked, "Is it short enough?"

"I like how full-bodied it is," Xander approved, walking around it.

"And it is a lovely shade of green," Alec mused.
 
"Stand about as far from it as you stand from your dad and look up, does it feel like you're craning your neck more or less to see the top?" Cooger asked, "I feel like I'm looking up higher."
 
The pair backed up and did as Cooger suggested.

"I like this one a lot, but I'm not sure if it's singing," Alec mused.

"I think it is," Xander stated. "I like it."

"Can we look around a little more?" Alec asked.

Xander sighed and shrugged. "Sure, why not?"
 
"We've got all day, it's not like last year when we had to beat them home, so we've got time to really take the pick," Cooger said, walking along with them, "Xander, can you take note of where our maybe tree was? In case we don't find one y'all love more?" He snapped his fingers, "We might also want to consider trees with branches that don't start as low, so your sister doesn't have it quite so easy to grab 'em. Then again, we can always saw the lower most branches off if we think it'll be a real problem."
 
"On it," Xander said, using his phone to make a note and a picture since he hadn't thought to bring paper or pencil.

Alec led them to a pear-shaped tree he quite liked. Xander considered and then shook his head. Way, way too low. Xander found a tall, thin tree he liked. Alec shook his head. Too thin. Too much like a pole and not enough like a tree. They kept going with Xander keeping notes of all the ones that almost made the cut.

Then, suddenly, they spotted it. The twins both stopped and stared at the tree. "That one," they said simultaneously, pointing at a Fraser fir tree. It looked so much like a Christmas tree it almost hurt, with its branches reaching upward just enough to cradle any and all ornaments on its branches.
 
Cooger didn't mind the false starts and stops. It was cold out, sure, but the sun was out, he was dressed for the weather, and he was used to long forested walks. The sent of pine on the air was delightful and as long as the twins didn't get into a fight over trees, life was good.

He stopped when they did, looking up at the beautiful, elegant tree. Giving a nod he said, "Damn. That's one helluva tree. It sings for sure."
 
"Like an opera star," Alec confirmed with a nod.

"A powerful one," Xander agreed. He walked over and felt the needles. "Still pointy, but not so bad."

"What do you want to bet we picked the most expensive tree in this place?" Alec asked, circling the tree slowly.

"Most definitely one-hundred percent," Xander stated with a nod.

"Hmm... Worth it," Alec decided.

"This tree? Definitely." Xander stood back. "It's going to look so good!"

"We should do like a classy theme, but not too far," Alec said. "Something elegant, but still willing to hold a crooked, handmade clay decoration."
 
"You still have your ornaments from last year, don't ya?" Cooger asked, laying down on his side so he could begin to saw the tree down, "That'll help. And how much do you want to bed your dad's been spending the whole year making wooden ornaments, just in case."
 
"I hadn't thought about that. Anything he makes will look absolutely amazing on any tree!" Alec said, grinning.

Xander stepped forward to help Cooger. "I think we kept everything."
 
"Hold the tree steady, would you?" Cooger grunted as he worked on sawing it, "Still good to buy a few things. Garland gets ratty pretty fast. Anyway, good to look around, we may have new ideas. Some people put ribbons on their trees."
 
The twins each took a side and held it steady for Cooger.

"Ribbons might be nice," Alec commented. "That way, if Ivy manages to get ahold of one, it's just one on one branch. Hopefully, that'll be less disastrous than a garland wrapped around the entire tree."

"Ribbon might look nice if there's wooden ornaments, too," Xander said, "and I think we should each get a new ornament. One every year, yeah?"

"I like it!" Alec said brightly. Then he frowned and looked down at Cooger. "Should Ivy get one?"
 
"Why wouldn't Ivy get one?" Cooger asked, "Last year, I'm pretty sure, we got one for all five of y'all. Can't recall if you got one for me too. I want to say you got some cheesy Daddy's First Christmas ornament for Dark and I nearly ralphed."
 
"That's true, we did," Xander smirked. "It was perfect!"

"Oh, I'm happy to get them all ornaments! I just want to make sure I'm not forcing anything on anyone," Alec told him.
 
"Putting up an ornament that made you think of 'em isn't forcing anything more than having a tree is and if they weren't okay with a tree, they would have told me at some point over the last year not to pull a stunt like this again, but they didn't." Cooger said matter-of-factly, his statement occasionally being broken up by grunts due to the labour he was currently doing.
 
"True. Very wise," Alec agreed.

"Except now we gotta figure out what to do for Ba since I doubt there's a cheesy 'Dad's second Christmas,'" Xander snickered.

Alec grinned. "How about a glittery pink unicorn that says something about being a best dad?"
 
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