Preparations are pretty much over.
Now, all that remains is delivering the gifts and decorating the tree. And the latter will be easy. No one will have to trek into the bitter northern wilderness to cut down a proper Christmas tree. At Fort Wainwright, a majestic spruce across from the parade field is the center of attention at each year's tree-lighting ceremony, when the chapel choir leads the singing of carols and Santa Claus whisks in on his dog sled. For U.S. soldiers and their families, Christmas offers no magical reprieve from deployment to troubled areas of the world.