*This piece was written as a sidebar to an article about artificial Christmas trees.
The box looked too small to hold a Christmas tree. My mom had gotten it on sale, probably after Christmas the previous year. There was room in the half-a-house my roommate and I shared in college, and my mother and I thought that it was time to have my own Christmas tree. 
It was assumed I’d have an artificial tree. My parents always had a fake tree. Part of the family tradition included the paternal cursing that goes along with hauling an awkward box full of spiky branches from what was always the farthest point in the house. 
The tree my mom bought me looked so pitiful in that tiny box, scrunched to conserve cardboard, as if it were embarrassed to come out. But after I put the tree together and carefully pulled out its branches and fluffed them up, there was marked improvement.

Who knew that metal washers, plastic pipe and lumber could be so much fun? 
Actually, plenty of people in Springfield, Nokomis and other small towns have been in on the secret for years. They’ve played the game of washers in their back yards, hauled their washers boxes to campgrounds and parties and competed in the many washers tournaments held each year in Nokomis and other towns in southern Illinois. 
A simple, social game like bocce ball or lawn darts, washers can be played by all ages, although one version has become a popular bar game in the St. Louis area. 
That’s because washers, a sort of scaled-down version of horseshoes, also is a good excuse for adults to drink beer.