Fir Bombs

It’s a freakish 12′C in Toronto today. Warmer than San Francisco and Las Vegas, the weatherman says. It’s also about 90% humidity.

All over the neighbourhood, people are throwing out their Christmas trees. They’re tossed onto lawns and sidewalks and driveways awaiting pickup later this week where they’ll be ground into mulch.

The warm humid air is filling the streets with little pockets of Christmas tree smell – pungent pine, sweet spruce, the subtle yet almost minty aroma of fir. Every couple of houses, I’ll get another blast of fragrance, usually smelling the discarded trees before I even see them if they blend into the front yard landscaping. It’s an odd experience; usually at this time of year, everything is frozen.

I can’t decide whether it’s energizing or ever so melancholy.