TUMBLEWEED CHRISTMAS

Twenty-two days until Christmas.

Are you ready? Have you put up your tree? Hung stockings from the fireplace?

My tree is up, waiting for decorations. The rest I hope to do tonight.

Monday's post by Christine was about books making great gifts. She's right. You can put them in stockings, wrap them with sparkly paper, and even mail them easily.

My Christmas story is TUMBLEWEED CHRISTMAS, a picture book for early readers.

Did you know that Chandler, Arizona actually uses tumbleweeds for their tree in town?

Watch the tree being built. Neat.

 

History of the tree.

 

This unique Chandler tradition began in 1957, when Chandler resident Earl Barnum raised the idea of a tumbleweed tree after he saw a similar one in Indiana built out of cone-shaped chicken wire with pine boughs stuck in the holes. Many members of the community helped create the first tree in Chandler using tumbleweeds that they gathered from around town. Little did these folks know that they were the first to do such a thing and that it would continue as an annual Christmas tradition from then on. In fact, Chandler is the only city in the southwestern United States that has such a tree.

 

 

The cat in the corner isn't interested in the books.

 

So what's on your shopping list?

Here are some of mine for tweens and teens.

Happy shopping.