To tree, or not to tree?
|December 21, 2023|
I used to always have a Christmas tree.
Sometimes we would cut one en famille at one of the local tree farms, other times we bought it from a sales lot. Certainly when the grandkids were tiny, that was part of the fun.
But then the lads grew a bit, and had their own tree to decorate, so I handed over some of the favorite decorations and shifted to poinsettias, with lights but not the decorations, which tend to snap the branches.
What about you? Do you still wrestle a real tree through the door and into the stand? Or is your tree stored in a box during the year? Or, do you do something else entirely to mark the center of the Christmas room?
Posted in Personal
I’m in a studio apartment, so even the Charlie Brown-sized tree I’ve had since I had a one-bedroom years ago is kept on a table in a nook next to my dresser — if it gets out at all. It’s artificial, and after elbow surgery early last year, I calmly went without it. That just makes it nicer to have it back this year.
If I hadn’t gotten the tree down, I might have gotten out my silver wire bowl and some of the bigger glass ornaments I painted in a crafty few years to give to my parents. A former neighbor had a big glass bowl full of old ornaments, and I adapted the idea.
Music and (surprise) reading are my two main ways of celebrating Christmas. Anyone complaining about hearing Christmas music in November never went to orchestra rehearsals for it in October. I’ll be reading a psalm at the Christmas morning service, and I think I’ll add my Mom’s 1944 Christmas present from Dad to whatever I decide to wear. It’s the blue aquamarine — not the blue carbuncle, but it’ll do nicely!
Thought I would always have a live tree, but no. Small artificial suits me fine. But, I still do quite a bit of decorating.
For many years now I have put a little tiny already lit and decorated tree on my library table. The days of the over 7 ft tree with over 1000 decorations has passed. It was for my son and then his children when they were tiny. Now we celebrate with FT with the grandkids and friends coming for Christmas dinner. To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven…the time of the huge tree is over. I have the memories.That is enough.
I am a singleton and have no family where I live. I am also a solo practitioner and find myself working too many hours to decorate. I do have a tiny artificial tree but I just moved and am not sure where it is now. Reading your question now makes me want to dig up my tiny tree and find a place for it.
We used to have a lighted tree (one year it was one of my bonsai trees…) Then we acquired cats, and a tree became contraindicated. This past year the last of our indoor cats died, so we could have had a tree, but didn’t. Instead, we threaded tiny fairy light strings through the rigging of one of our model tall ships. When I get off dead center, I will take a picture of the lit ship and have it printed up for Christmas cards.
Perfect!
Laurie