Among the 8mm movies that record my childhood are shots of the family nestled at the foot of our Christmas tree.

Our aluminum Christmas tree.

The sorta tree that would catch fire if you strung it with 1950s-era lights. Instead, it came with a spotlight that rotated festive red, blue, amber and green over the sparkly branches.

Such is the basis for all I know of Christmas decor.

And if I no longer have an aluminum tree (they're wildly collectible and pricey now), that doesn't mean I've succumbed to the seasonal lure of the supermarket parking lot either.

My own tree lived all year in a box in a basement closet until I hauled it out Friday afternoon for its annual encrustment.

I made cocoa, munched cheese and crackers and filled its branches with so many ornaments that by the time I was finished you could hardly tell a tree was at the center of that pyramid in the living room - much less whether it was made of plastic.

I'm satisfied with my system, which precludes pine sap from staining my carpets and pets from sipping at the water basin.

And it means that no baby firs or pines will be slain in the name of Druid tradition for my amusement and holiday decor.

But �

But I know that's not true of all of you.

I know many of you remain enamored of blown-glass ornaments, bubble lights, individually dangled tinsel and the scent of pine. You'll be prowling those parking lots this week, sifting through the forest's fallen for that one perfect corpse to stand in the front window.

I have a suggestion:

Go to the nursery instead.

Buy a live tree.

Actually, tell the folks at the nursery what you're doing and ask them to tag a tree that you'll pick up next month. If you keep a live tree in a warm indoor environment for more than about 10 days, you risk it thinking it's time to start sprouting new needles.

That's just one of the limitations of a living Christmas tree. Among the others:

* It will cost more than a formerly live tree. A lot more.

* It'll be heavy, so it takes some muscle to get it into and out of the house.

* You can't lop off a hunk of trunk when you discover it's too tall for your room; take measurements before you buy.

* It must be kept well irrigated, so you'll have to set the root ball in some sort of water-proof container. An old washtub is perfect.

On the upside, your tree definitely will be fresh. If the forest scent is a big part of your holiday joy, I guarantee you'll have it.

And you get a tree you can plant in the yard afterward.

Here on the Great American Desert, where it's entirely possible the ground will be frozen or covered with a foot of snow on Dec. 26, you have to plan ahead.

Dig your planting hole now and stow the soil in a garage or shed for a few weeks. Meanwhile, fill the hole with fall leaves and cover it with a tarp to keep that temporary insulation in place.

When the time comes for planting, remove the leaves, plop the tree in, remove its (likely) burlap and twine wrapping, refill the hole with the salvaged soil and water well.

Do this for enough years, and you'll have your own little Christmas forest out back.

houseworks@journalstar.com|HouseWorks, Box 81609, Lincoln, NE 68501