A/N: This chapter and the next could kind of go together, although you don't have to read both for it to make sense. One just naturally follows the other in this case.

I really wanted to write about picking out the perfect tree because this was something special in my family when I was a child. We always went together as a family to pick out our Christmas tree, it's something that I miss doing now that I have a fake tree.

Prompt: (object) Christmas tree

The Perfect Tree

"Muggles certainly have some odd Christmas traditions," Sirius commented as he trudged through the snow behind Marlene.

"I don't find this odd at all," she replied. "They have to do things a bit differently than we do since they don't have magic. I'm sure a lot of our traditions and ways of doing things would seem odd to them as well."

"You have a point," he conceded. "But did we have to do this on the coldest day ever?"

"Quit being so dramatic. This is supposed to be fun, so stop complaining." She looked at the various pine trees around her as she walked. There were some that were very small, some that were quite tall, and plenty in between. Having grown up in a household with Muggle and wizarding traditions, Marlene had persuaded Sirius to use some Muggle traditions in their own home during the Christmas season. That included going to a large Christmas tree lot and walking through nearly knee-deep snow to find the perfect Christmas tree.

"What are we even looking for? Obviously a tree, but how will we know when we've found the perfect one?"

"We'll just know." Marlene pointed at a tree just ahead of them. "Let's try that one."

Marlene walked in a circle around the tree several times, brushing snow off the branches. "Looks alright," she finally said. She pushed the snow at the base of the tree away with her foot. "The branches at the bottom don't look so good though."

"They look fine to me." Sirius tilted his head as he looked at them, trying to see what she saw.

"They're a bit thin on the bottom. See how full it looks at the top compared to the bottom? We want a tree that looks full all the way down." She looked around. "Most of these trees look like they have some dead branches on them. Let's go up a bit farther."

They moved from tree to tree, inspecting each one for any noticeable flaws that couldn't be covered up by decorations. Sirius seemed to be getting a good idea of how it was done. He was able to point out things that Marlene had missed on some trees.

They had reached the back of the lot when Sirius stopped next to a tree covered in snow. "What about this one?" He brushed the snow off with a gloved hand. "It looks really green. And I don't see any thin spots."

Marlene dug the snow away from the bottom. "It does look good. The trunk looks straight and I don't see any dead branches." She smiled. "And it's just tall enough to fit in the living room. I think this is the one."

"I think you're right," Sirius said. "So, what do we do now that we've found it?"

"We cut it – Oh Merlin, I forgot the saw," Marlene groaned.

"The...saw?"

"It's what Muggles use to cut down trees," Marlene explained. "I guess I'll have to use magic."

"So much for doing everything the Muggle way," he teased.

"Just be quiet and make sure no one's looking, will you?" Marlene said as she took her wand out of her pocket.

"Please tell me the rest of Christmas won't be so much work," Sirius said later as they looked at their tree, standing tall in a corner of their living room.

"We still have to decorate it," Marlene said, planting a quick kiss on his cheek before leaving the room to get the decorations.

"Why did I ever let you talk me into this?" Sirius wondered aloud as he stared after her in disbelief.