What is better than a Christmas tree? Half a Christmas tree.

Ken and Sylvia Andersen found a great way to save space in their lovely Mill Creek condo. They put up half a fake Christmas tree that snugs right against the wall.

And it’s pre-lit.

Picture a round tree. Run it through a slicer, top to bottom. Use one side. A small, two-legged stand, props the half-a-tree against a wall.

Too slick.

After Christmas, they can shove it back in the box for next year.

Such a fun couple.

Ken Andersen, 86, had to be persistent during the courtship a couple of years ago because Sylvia Andersen, 71, didn’t want to remarry.

Both Norwegians had been wed before. He had four grown children and she had two. They had been friends for 30 years, since they met at a church in Belfair.

Perhaps her reluctance to marry came from knowing Ken Andersen eats pickled herring sandwiches. Two pieces of white bread, pickled herring, peanut butter and lingonberries.

“That is sick,” Sylvia Andersen said.

She is an Everett High School graduate, was an accountant in Everett and taught English in Romania. Ken Andersen, raised in Ballard, retired from sales and was a Navy flyer in World War II. He was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses.

When he called her for a date she was coy. They agreed to have coffee, and coffee only, at Karl’s Bakery in Everett.

“Of course we met at Karl’s,” she said. “I wouldn’t tell him where I lived.”

That was probably smart in the dating world, but Mr. Andersen was not to be thwarted. He finally asked for her address so he could send flowers.

She relented.

The bouquet was beautiful, she said.

A wedding idea fell into their laps. Their pastor, Kevin Bates, at Advent Lutheran Church in Mill Creek, suggested they get hitched during a regular church service. That was done in the old days, he said.

So she bought a gorgeous silvery dress, they invited friends and family, and sat in the front row of the church during a Sunday service. They were called up to the altar and exchanged vows as part of the Sunday service.

At a reception at the church, before they signed the license, Bates recited another part of the ceremony. Before everyone left, he added “I now pronounce you man and wife.”

Mr. Andersen said he was very happy to be married again. He tried to meet women on a cruise through the Panama Canal, but he said paid escorts on the ship monopolized the single ladies.

“I wanted companionship,” Mr. Andersen said. “I wanted to share things with somebody.”

The couple share poor health, but they live life as fully as possible, they said. Both enjoy spending time with their blended families and dining out.

“We spend a good deal of time appreciating and enjoying each other’s company,” Sylvia Andersen said. “I think we understand what is really important in life.”

They sit back to back in their home office, each with their own computers. She is the treasurer for two organizations.

And they e-mail one another, from inches apart.

“We are both very happy,” Ken Andersen said. “We thank God for each new day.”

And he said he thanked J.C. Penney for half a tree.

Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com.