My husband says it's his family tradition. I think he's being a cheapskate.

We wait until Christmas Eve to buy our Christmas tree.  Why?

He says it's because both of his parents worked and that was the only time they had to get a tree.

There's also another reason which he refers to as "just one of the bonuses."

That's because Christmas Eve is when the trees go on sale.  So, instead of shelling out $60.00 for a Fraser Fir, we get it for $30.00. And my husband is ecstatic at his cost-savings.

But by the time Christmas Eve comes the trees are looking haggard,with pine needles hanging on for dear life. I'm scared the lights will instantly ignite the tree. And I swear you can hear the branches moan from dehydration when we hang the ornaments on.

Now, this tradition totally flies in the face of my family tradition which was to buy our tree December 1st.

My husband won't budge. He says getting it so early means "that by Christmas time, it's on fire."

Adjusting to our new tradition has taken a while. We've had some bumps along the way. Like the time he bought a 'living' Christmas tree, which was about 12 inches tall. He was so excited about not being a tree killer. I cried. We went out and bought a 'real' Christmas tree.