A friend and I were talking about Christmas when we went out for breakfast the other day. Of course, the theme of the Christmas tree appeared.

My friend told me about a woman named Jane Jones Hutchins who had a feature report on the Voice of the Manhattan Project at Atomicheritage.org. The point of this story is that there are no Christmas trees.

Hutchins and a group of colleagues planned a holiday party. They went out to the desert and brought back a sagebrush to decorate. Can you imagine? There is no Christmas tree. The sagebrush looks very beautiful. For a 22-year-old who left home for Christmas for the first time, life is difficult.

The life story of Jane Jones Hutchins is very exciting! In 1943, she came to Pasco from a small town in Kansas. Upon arrival, she heard of Hanford and jumped on a bus, where she immediately found a job. You can read more about Jones Hutchins' Hanford experience here.

Beaver Bark Gift and Garden Center, located at 607 Aaron Drive in Richland

Queensgate Gardens, located at 1040 Queensgate Drive in Richland

Job's Nursery, 4072 Columbia River Road in Pasco

Wood's Nursery & Garden Store at 2615 Van Giesen Street in Richland

You can obtain a permit to cut your own trees in the Blue Mountains of the Umatilla National Forest.