The other day I was puttering around in the kitchen and had the TV on. I’ve developed a stupid habit of flipping between channels, looking for a weather forecast that is more to my liking. 

We can choose our own political news coverage to hear what we want to hear, but when it comes to weather, that doesn’t work. They all more or less report the same stuff, and while they are not all that accurate, we all see the same outcome. 

There is no Fox weather or MSNBC weather. There is just the weather. Rain is a fact. When it rains, it rains on all of us, which is pretty grim for ski conditions.

Anyway, I was loading the dishwasher and making enough noise that the TV was not really a factor.  Then a piece of a story jumped out at me. The reporter was at a Christmas tree lot interviewing the guy selling Christmas trees in Salt Lake. 

The tree salesman was a caricature of a tree lot guy, but he knew his trees. He went on about different varieties and some that were thicker than others, which fit in small spaces best, smelled good, and so on.  You don’t need to spend a lot, he said, then added, “‘course if you want a Park City tree, and can lay down $1,000 bucks, we got those, too.” That’s not an exact quote. I’ve tried to find the clip online and can’t. But it’s close.

So there it is. In the Christmas tree biz, a “Park City tree” is a technical term, like a balsam pine. The reporter knew exactly what he meant by a “Park City tree.” I knew exactly what he meant, and odds are, you do, too. You may even have one in your house now, reaching skyward in your 20-foot tall living room. A normal-sized Christmas tree in that big space would look ridiculous, a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. So I get it. 

It was clear from the context that a Park City tree isn’t just a big tree. A Park City tree is the Wagyu beef of Christmas trees, massaged and trimmed for perfect symmetry since it was a mere sapling.

Big Christmas trees were on my radar because we had the annual family Christmas party in the loft of the dairy barn last weekend. It takes a substantial tree to show up in a 4,500-square-foot room. The roof is about 30 feet high at the tallest point. A standard Christmas tree would look like somebody had spilled their salad in a space that big. 

So we cut a big tree. But not too big, because the openings in the wall aren’t all that big. It had to get hoisted up and fit through the window to get inside. We cut it on Thanksgiving weekend and wrestled it inside. It was a big tree, but I don’t think it was a Park City tree — it had a kind of weird split top to it.

Despite a less than perfect Christmas tree, the party itself was great. Four generations who know and like each other, sharing long memories of time together and those who have passed on. 

The holidays are a time of reflection. We are living in a remarkably beautiful place, with embarrassing abundance and security. Sometimes we forget what a privilege it is to be here.

It doesn’t just happen. A whole lot of people make it work. So a big thanks to the curmudgeonly guy, whose name is actually Guy, who delivers propane in any kind of weather; and the crew from the power company who got me hooked up again when the tree fell on the line; and the woman who delivers the mail and a ton of packages; and the snowplow drivers who are getting off easy this year but probably haven’t recovered fully from last winter. Make the effort to say thanks to the people who keep it all running.

In the thick of all this abundance, there are people who need help. There are some great local organizations doing amazing things. Find some organizations you believe in, and do what you can.  Some of my favorites are Utah Food Bank, which serves Summit County. The Park City Christian Center backstops everybody from the foreign workers here for the season to long-time residents in need. The list of services they provide is long, amazing, and effective. 

Peace House is another organization that literally saves lives every day. Holy Cross Ministries runs programs aimed at preschool kids to help them get ready to enter school, often in a different language.  There are more great organizations out there, and they seem to get a lot of bang for the buck when it comes to effectively addressing needs. Do what you can. 

No matter the size, the best Park City Christmas tree is one surrounded by family and friends, and even though it’s been cut, the roots still spread far and wide into this amazing community. Merry Christmas, and thanks for letting me take a few minutes of your time each week.