Like many people, the smell of a real Christmas tree is one of my all-time favorites. Maybe it’s the memories of childhood associated with it, but it never fails to bring a smile to my face.

This year, however, I decided to go an untraditional route. I’d like to share with you my Christmas ‘tree’-

This, my friends, is a branch I found laying on the ground in the park near my house. I can only imagine what people thought when they saw me dragging it back to my apartment (in the snow, mind you). But once it was dried out and hung up it was ready to be trimmed with special ornaments and presents underneath.

I have to admit, I’m smitten with it.

Did I mention it lights up?!

I used little fairy lights that attach to a battery pack (hidden behind the ornament on the far left). When it’s lit up and a spruce-scented candle is burning, it definitely feels like Christmas around here.