she was making a fuss because she thought $20 was too expensive for a Xmas tree
She isn't called Scrooge by any chance, is she? I wouldn't say $20 is excessive for a Xmas tree.
I don't like to put up my tree too early, as that just means there's more of an opportunity for that daft cat of ours to destroy the thing. It's hard work having to stand guard for the entire time that it is up.