Today is Christmas, a big holiday in the United States. Started as a religious holiday, (it's supposedly Jesus's birthday, but evidence I have suggests he was born closer to mid-March), it has since become a family-togetherness and gift holiday. The United States has taken rituals from many other countries, but this one concerns the one taken from Germany, in which an illuminated tree is kept in the house. The original plan used candles on the tree, which was manifestly unsafe. (Dry tree plus burning candle equals massive fire disaster.) Modern trees use much safer electric lights, but Christmas tree fires are a big concern for fire departments in this season.
You can tell about the Christmas-celebrant's personality by the type of tree they prefer: Natural ceder vs. Artificial aluminum tree. Natural tree people have a love of nature, a better sense of smell (cedar trees have a subtle smell, that artificial trees do not have), and a bigger toleration of mess. Artificial tree people are more worried about mess, perhaps because they are tired, or because they intensely dislike cleaning. They are more technological, prefer indoor life, and dislike shopping. (Artificial trees can be reused year after year, but a cedar will be a dried hunk by January, and is already dangerously flammable by Christmas day.)
I forget where I read this idea, but a Happy Holidays for you.
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