Leander High School's online student-run newspaper

The Roar

Leander High School's online student-run newspaper

The Roar

Leander High School's online student-run newspaper

The Roar

Get the Facts Straight: SAG-AFTRA and WGA Strike
Just Keep Swimming
Get the Facts Straight: Fentanyl
Things You May Not Know About LHS

Things You May Not Know About LHS

February 7, 2023

New Years Resolutions

New Years Resolutions

January 30, 2023

Olivia Straus
Olivia Straus
Creative director

Real Trees Sprout Memories

Traditionally throughout history, people who celebrate Christmas go out and buy or chop down their own tree to bring home and don with lights, ornaments, garlands, tinsel, stars, etc., but in recent years, some people have been using artificial trees. With this new creation, something trivial has come up: What kind of tree is better, a fake one or a real one?

Well, when posed this question, answer with: “Would you like plastic food for Christmas dinner?” Not having a real tree takes out the realism and the reality that it’s the holidays.

It’s more traditional to have a real tree, although more costly. It does require money and watering, but it’s worth it. It’s worth the actual smell and feel of the tree, the memories created spending time with the family.

Having an artificial tree can take away the joy from going to the store and picking a tree with your family. Going through the rows of trees, examining each one, finding the perfect tree that’s the right size and shape. Strapping it onto or in the car and making sure it won’t fall off, and then bringing it into the house.

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Then there’s decorating the tree. Stringing the lights on, finding the perfect branch for each ornament so that the tree is evenly covered and isn’t too heavy on one side so that it tips over, showering it with tinsel, making garlands and layering them on top of the ornaments. And finally, placing the star on top of the tree. Stepping back or sitting on the couch, admiring the hard work put into the decorations to make the tree unique, to make it special. Knowing that the tree didn’t come in a box with instructions on how to assemble it, pre-decorated sometimes. Knowing that it’s the only one that looks the way it does. Families are able to spend quality time together, to create memories that can’t easily be replaced.

Once the tree is in the house, the smell of pine spreads. Being in rooms and opening doors, getting a whiff of the tree that the family found and decorated. Then, on Christmas Day, going down the stairs to sit around the tree and celebrate another year together, the smell of pine all around.

Although money can be saved from buying and re-using an artificial tree, it’s not the same as having the real thing. The smell, the feel, getting the sap on your hands and arms and smelling like Christmas all day, creating memories with the family, I don’t understand how anyone could give it up.

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About the Contributor
Siandhara Bonnet, Editor-In-Chief
Siandhara Bonnet, Editor-In-Chief, is an ecstatic senior with a full calendar. Along with her passion for Journalism, Siandhara keeps her schedule busy with meetings and activities for Student Council, C-Squared, Green Paws, and Tutors Inc. That doesn’t stop her though, from being a top-notch student enrolled in the IB Program. After high school, Siandhara has plans to attend Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma after she graduates, with a major in Journalism and a minor in Photography.