Pink is the new green

What is a single, 29-going-on-29 woman supposed to do on a Friday night in a town devoid of single people? Run for the Borders.

I’ve never met a bookstore I didn’t like.  Local bookshops, national chains, hole-in-the-wall dusty jackets, paper-scented superstores filled with the sounds of cracking book bindings.  I like them whichever way they come: used, new, or slightly abused.  And with Christmas coming, I was looking for a little holiday cheer.  Streaming “Swingin’ Christmas” all day on Pandora helped a little, but I needed some gift shopping.

Enter the slightly silly, eclectic offerings of the Paperie section.  Picture this, I'm thinking, "I need some Christmas".  I'm browsing the stacks of Borders Presents (employees offer their book evaluations), meandering along the best seller lists, passing by fluffy fair for the holidays (one gem among them: Stuff White People Like... hilarious.  Here's a hint, I am doing four of these thing simultaneously...  coffee, blogging, listening to NPR, contemplating my bike commute in the snow... that last one counts).

Aside: I would like to dedicate the following link to my friend Jeff, who looked fantastic in his ugly sweater... 

I round the corner of the "New in Paperback" table and there she is.  The tree.  Seven feet tall.  Perfectly proportioned.  I pass by and chuckle to myself "No way".  I wander through the calendar stacks, taking peeks over my shoulder.  A sign near her says "more sizes and colors in the Paperie".  I head that way, looking for something shorter, more traditional, less what's-the-word...  PINK!  Nothing else will do.

I ask the sales staff if it is just for show and they tell me that they only received one of the trees and decided to put it up.  I would be the only person in Corvallis, OR with a pink tree.  My first Christmas tree as a Singleton.  (Sadly, my first Christmas not with my family... don't worry, New Years will be in MO).  I had to have it.  They stuffed it in the box for me and accompanied me out to my car.  Three of the sales staff approached me while I was waiting for them to dismantle it, saying how glad they were that the tree had a home (this may be because they wanted to get rid of it, but one woman was a little sad.  I think she would have bought it if it stayed much longer).  

The PINK tree!

I only own three ornaments: a frog on a beach board (thanks 'rents), a singing Tweety Bird, and a sparkly, winged track shoe.  I added a few sparkly, silver coated flowers and butterflies that I found in the sales bin at Micheals, and strung up some green Christmas lights.  I have no Angel, so I topped the tree with one of the butterflies and hung an old, yellow, stuffed monkey from my childhood on the bike hook above the tree trying to catch the butterfly.  Perfect.

I've told a few friends about the tree, comments were varied:

"Of course."

"It's a Barbie tree!"

"It's soooo you!"

"It looks like someone threw-up Pepto Bismal on your tree"

I am now in the Christmas spirit!