Murphy's Law -- The Christmas Tree Saga

So. . . after a bit of debate, I finally convinced my husband that we should be eco-friendly this Christmas. Although, there is nothing like the smell of a fresh pine tree in my living room on Christmas morning, this year, the idea of putting another dead tree out on the curb, tugged a little at my ever-expanding "green" heartstrings; not to mention the $70, I'd have to spend, for little return on my investment. No, this year, I wanted to go the distance, to help "save the environment", this year we were going to get a potted tree that could be planted after Christmas. I was excited, maybe even elated, at the part I would playing in off-setting global warming; I saw visions of my son playing in a yard, currently barren, now shaded by large trees. It was an investment that seemed not only conscientious but very practical. So, with Tevas on foot and a big smile on my face, I loaded the family into the car. We were headed to The Great Outdoors, our local nursery. There we would find the PERFECT Christmas tree; who knows, we may even start a new tradition.
After wading through the selection of trees that had lost their leaves, tiny shrubs, and precut evergreens. We saw IT. The PERFECT tree. It was green, with a small amount of red flowing through the stems, it was potted, it had even been shaped to look like a Christmas tree. A Cherry Laurel. It was ours. A quick look at the price tag. . .ouch. Well. . .we're saving the environment. . . and this is an investment. . .the price, double that of our Average Christmas tree, was worth it, when you looked at it that way!
We had it loaded into our car and were merrily on our way home with our little 4ft. beauty that was going to grow to provide us with a lifetime of shade. Everything was going great. . .Until. . .
Swat. . .
I looked over at my husband, who was swatting at bugs now making their way up his window. "What are those?" I asked. "Bugs, they must be coming off the tree" he answered. Now, I'm not a big fan of creepy-crawly-flying things, but I was willing to grin and bear it for the sake of the cause. This was still going to be my PERFECT Christmas tree. Then I hear my 3 year old: "What's that on your window, Mommy?" I turned to see a little, winged, green insect staring me in the face. No problem. . .it's a live tree. . .bound to have live things on it. I smiled and turned to my son, "it's just a little friend, honey." Then, out of no where there were more little friends, climbing and swarming around me. No worries. . .this was going to be the PERFECT TREE! Out of nowhere I felt my chest tightening and my breathing get sluggish, my skin started to itch. I ignored it, thinking it was the bugs, but the feeling kept growing and growing. We pulled into the driveway, just as I thought my air passages were going to completely close; I quickly jumped out and gulped in fresh air. After a couple of moments, I regained my composure, and talked myself into believing. . .this was all in my head. . .I'm simply having some sort of hypochondriac-driven panic attack. After all, this was MY PERFECT CHRISTMAS TREE! The tree was going to spend the night on the porch, giving me time to get over my hypochondria.
The next morning, I awoke feeling refreshed and renewed. Once I stepped out of my room, IT HIT ME; my chest tightened, my breathing became sluggish, and my skin was on fire. . .
I turned, to see my husband putting our TREE into its spot in the living room. Horror. . .I couldn't hold it in any longer. . " CAN YOU GET THAT DAMN THING OUT OF HERE. . .I'M ALLERGIC!!!" I blurted out.
Now, stands our Christmas Laurel. . .out on the front porch. If you turn the porch lights on, you can catch a slight glimmer in the decorations. Beautiful. We're thinking of taking the presents outside on Christmas Morning, but are a little worried about what the neighbors might think. So, for now we will enjoy our PERFECT tree with the blinds UP.