Newcott Blog

I leave for DC tomorrow, but our Christmas tree is already in the dumpster.  I undecorated it last night while watching "Who Killed the Electric Car," a great documentry that makes you wonder if the US car industry has crushed its own future.  They invested heavily in hybrid/electric energy, gave up on it, and are now being surpassed in a big way by Toyota and Honda.  Now all of Detroit and the US automotive industry is screwed and dying.  Lame.  I have come to the realization that I am a closet environmentalist — eventhough I still drive everywhere and cut down Christmas trees.  In 8th grade, I remember reading about clean burning methane and nuclear energy and wondering why we didn't use more of it.  I remember being scared about the eventual energy crisis.  4 years ago, I read a book called the Hydrogen Economy and thought I might want to work in alternative energy.  And I'm still mesmerized by the windmill farms in the pass between Orange County and Palm Springs.  "An Inconvenient Truth," Al Gore's documentry about global warming, resonated with me as well (Though I would have liked the movie more without the obvious political commentary.  The environment needs to be less politically polarizing).  People need to decide for themselves, without political baggage, to do the right thing and: reduce, reuse, recycle, conserve, etc.  Government needs to set policies to encourage greener living and reduce dependence on fossil fuels – laws and tax credits DO change behavior. 

We'll be in DC for Christmas again.  Bronwen leaves on Sunday the 17th, and I leave on Friday the 22nd.  It will be fun.  A week in the cold and cloudy swamp of DC.  We'll have parties, eat out, have help with Silas, do presents, see family and friends, go back and forth between parents' houses.  Annually, it's a very good time.  The hassle is in getting to DC and back.  But it's worth the trouble.  We were thinking last night about starting family traditions — especially with the addition of Silas.  So far, we've established: going back to DC, and having a Christmas tree between Thanksgiving and about Dec. 22.  On a different note, I just handed in our wrapped Salvation Army angel tree gift.  We went nuts and got 2-year-old Jael some sweet stuff — toys, clothes, books.  I hope she's happy.

It's Christmas at 260 Victoria, unit F5.  We've got a beautiful 6 ft Noble Fir, trimmed with white twinkle micro-lights and our many ornaments.  So far, Silas hasn't crawled up to it to yank it down.  Bronwen uses boxes and pillows to make a 2 foot barrier around the base of the tree.  My goal is to keep it watered so that on Dec. 19th I can carry it out to the trash without losing too many needles.  I probably need to explain here that I'll be taking the tree out just before I leave for Christmas in DC.  So, why the tree if we'll only keep it up for 2.5 weeks?  Excellent question.  A question that has me wondering why we spent 50 bucks on a tree.  I suppose it's necessary to set the Christmas mood — sights, smells, rituals.  I suppose it's worth it.