Holidays

This post was supposed to be pictures of us going to the Christmas tree farm last weekend and cutting down our tree. But, thanks to my own stupidity, there are no pictures. I had to go back to using our old-fashioned film camera recently when our digital camera quit focusing correctly, probably from being dropped too much. I guess it’s been too long since I used this old technology, because I forgot to make sure there was film in the camera. Oops. So I’ll just write about decorating our tree. It’s been so long, I feel like I have to write something.

Our tree sat bare in the living room for six days after we brought it home. My husband and I had this great idea last winter to put the Christmas decorations up in the attic where they were out of the way. Way out of the way. To get to the attic everything has to be removed from my son’s closet, a ladder brought up from the basement and someone has to climb the ladder, then hoist themselves through the 2 foot opening in the ceiling. We didn’t have time for all of that until last night. I think the decorations are going in the garage this year.

I was not as enthusiastic about decorating the tree as I usually am because I’ve been fighting a bad cold for the last two days. (If this post seems a little hazy, it’s because I’m a little hazy from the cold medicine.) We put the lights on last night. and I decided to finish the decorating today. Finally, this afternoon I mustered the energy to drag myself off the couch and hang the ornaments. With frequent rests and help from my son, I got it decorated. The breakable ornaments are at the top, out of my son’s reach. It did take me a long time to convince him that the Cars movie ornaments his Grandma gave him should go on the tree and not his toy race track. He did pretty well placing the ornaments on the tree. There are a few clumped together at the bottom, but oh well.

I don’t have one of those themed trees with perfectly coordinated decorations. It’s a mish-mash of ornaments, most of which were given to us as gifts. I have very few Christmas ornaments that I have personally bought. In fact, I think the traditional colored glass bulbs that my husband and I bought our first Christmas may be the only ones we purchased, and only a few of those have survived 10 holidays.

I love our mis-matched decorations. I look at them and remember who gave them to us. Some reflect the personality and taste of the giver, others commemorate an event such as Baby’s First Christmas or the Barbie bride ornament given to me the Christmas before we were married. I also have some ornaments on my tree that once hung on the Christmas tree in my parent’s home when I was a child. A I look at the tree, the memories that come to mind of family, friends and and Christmases past hold far more meaning for me than the presents under the tree.

The manger scene, stockings and greenery came out today along with the Christmas ornaments. It’s finally looking like Christmas here. Until the house was decorated it seemed so far away still. Now the Christmas tree is staring at at me, a reminder that as of tomorrow Christmas is only 10 days away. I haven’t finished my Christmas shopping or even mailed my Christmas cards yet.

And I’d better buy some film so we have pictures of Christmas morning.

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