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From comedian & writer Paul Kerensa:

Apparently this is THE weekend most of us are buying Christmas trees. In our house that means our traditional disagreement: real versus fake. Personally I like the genuine, authentic, plastic tree in the loft鈥� My wife prefers a trek in the rain to unearth a real one.

The best fact about fake trees? The Addis brush company kickstarted fake trees in the 1930s, after making too many toilet brushes. So if some Christmas trees look like they have loo brushes for branches, it鈥檚 because they have loo brushes for branches.

The best fact about real trees? They take up to ten years to grow. So right now, your 2028 tree is hard at work. Makes me think, 滨鈥檓 not planning that far ahead. My Christmas tree for a decade鈥檚 time is already a sapling. I can鈥檛 think past New Year.

But I guess we start small. In my favourite festive cartoon, Charlie Brown鈥檚 Christmas, Charlie chooses a scrawny shrub: the only real tree he can find amid garish fakes. Better to have small growth that鈥檚 real, over a brash phoney that never takes root 鈥� and is probably best used as a toilet brush. Then, overcome by commercialism, Charlie asks who knows the true meaning of Christmas. Enter Charlie鈥檚 blanket-clutching friend Linus, who quotes from Luke鈥檚 gospel 鈥� all angels and glory and shepherds being sore afraid. When Linus speaks the angel鈥檚 words: 鈥淔ear not!鈥� 鈥�he allows himself to drop his comfort blanket.

I hope, in ten years鈥� time, when today鈥檚 newly-planted Christmas tree seedling is fully grown and in our living-room, I鈥檒l be able to look back at how 滨鈥檝别 grown, from seeds planted now. I hope the decade will have been one of steady kindness, like the loyal nuns of Call the Midwife 鈥� living like the song goes, 鈥淟ove is You, you鈥檙e its smile鈥�. The journey may have featured Les Miserables-style redemption, that can鈥檛 be rushed.听 We may have started afresh like Mowgli, when new growth can seem a frightening jungle. But like Linus said, 鈥榝ear not鈥�. On earth, be peace, and in earth, let鈥檚 plant for tomorrow, and do some digging.

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