Garland Land

When I went to the corner store to scope out their holiday decorating wares a few weeks ago, I spotted a large coil of pine garland all bound up. The chicken-scratch sign seemed to read "15 ft. $25". Let me just start by saying that I have no idea what the street value of pine garland is, so that seemed like a fair price to me, and seemed like the perfect length for my staircase, so I purchased what was essentially a rubber-tire sized bundle. However, when I got the thing home and untied all the bindings, I realized that I had misread the sign and it was actually 75 feet of garland (or 60 feet more than anyone could conceivably need in Manhattan), so then I felt simultaneously like a bargain shopper for getting so much, and like a sucker for paying so much in the first place for what I thought was less. And I was stuck with a lot of garland, and not a lot of apartment to put it in. So, I draped it over our mantles with ribbons and holly, wrapped it all the way up the railing, stuck bits of it into wreaths and on our Christmas tree, and festooned the railings of our balconies. It looks classic (very Currier and Ives), smells great, and still looks pretty, even after it's dried. It seems I discovered a great economical Christmas decoration by accident. Next year, I might buy 150 feet.