| LyndaB
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Last night, I experienced a great sense of nostalgia. My husband, stepson and I decorated our first Christmas tree as a family.
The tradition of setting up the Christmas tree runs deep for me. As a child, it was my *job* to head out to the local tree farm with my Dad to find and cut the perfect tree. Every year, the tree we came home with was larger than the previous year's, at least in my Mother's eyes. She would moan and groan as we pushed and squished that tree through the front door. But I think she was secretly smiling behind all her complaints.
Dad would set the tree up straight in the stand as the house became permeated with a wonderful balsam aroma. Sometimes, the tree was so large, he had to tie it to eye-hooks set in to the wall so that it wouldn't topple over. After the placement was just so, he would string all the lights. Back then, we had colored lights on the tree. Some of them had little Mickey Mouse bells that hung over them, like lamp shades. Once the lights were up, he turned the decorations over to me and Mom.
We would go through cartons of decorations, some of them carried over from my grandparents collections and some were those cheesey decorations that we all made in first grade that were frightful to look at, but so full of sentimental value that they remained family favorites. After Mom and I finished hanging the ornaments, my brothers would go around flinging on piles of silver icicles, at least 1/2 of which ended up on the floor beneath the tree.
My Dad would place the lighted angel atop the tree and we would all ooooh and ahhhhh at appropriate intervals. But we knew the tree was still not finished. We would all step back from the tree and watch what happened next. Dad never allowed us to help with this final step. He would take *angel hair*, which was actually spun glass, and very carefully and methodically stretch this material from branch tip to branch tip, making sure that the tree ended up with an even coating of this material from top to bottom. As the lights illuminated through the angel hair, you were mesmerized by the appearance of what seemed to be thousands of intricate spider webs.
When my first husband and I bought our house, we discovered boxes and boxes of ornaments up in the attic. They were from the 1930’s and 40’s and I thought they were absolutely beautiful. He wasn’t too thrilled, however. I could see the soft wear on these old gems that spoke of decades of being hung gently on numerous trees. When we divorced, there was no question as to who became keeper of the ornaments. I added them to the many boxes I had accumulated over the years.
Last evening, I watched my husband and stepson prepare to decorate a Christmas tree together for the first time. My eyes glistened as I watched them go through the boxes of my beloved ornaments, my husband stating that just looking at them was bringing him back in time to decorating the tree with his own father, who passed away many years ago. He hasn’t decorated a tree in 20 years and now he was huddled with his son making sure every ornament had a proper hook to hang on, so that there was no chance they would fall and break.
Two years ago, I took my husband to cut down his first fresh Christmas tree. The next year, we brought my stepson for his first time. It’s already a tradition for us and the day after Thanksgiving, we went again and got this year’s perfect tree.
Last evening, although the tree was decorated and looked gorgeous… something was missing. My stepson asked me if I had something to put on the top of the tree. I told him no, that I never had found just what I wanted. He drew an angel and as soon as he feels she’s just right, she’s going up on the top of the tree. |
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Thu Dec 02, 2004 8:47 pm |
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| srwerner
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Sorry, but it kills me to see people cutting down trees to bring into the house for a few weeks then toss it out. DH says his parents used to have a tree in a movable pot so they would put it outside in the summer and inside for the winter. I thought that was a great idea, however where we put the tree is too far from the nearest outside exit.
Also got pneumonia one year when my parents had a fresh tree. I swear that thing was causing my allergies to kick up which caused me to have problems breathing which caused the pneumonia (I was in the ER on Christmas day!). I also noticed when I went to the Lake Tahoe area, I was starting to get the same reaction. I'll never know if I was having problems because of the height or because of the trees... which are similiar to the trees people bring into their homes....
But Lynda, I'm sure SS's angel will be the most beautiful one ever! |
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Thu Dec 02, 2004 8:53 pm |
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| LyndaB
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Perhaps it will make you rest a little easier when I tell you that I never just put my old tree curbside. I always take the tree and put it back into the woods as a shelter for birds and small animals.
I laughed when you mentioned a few weeks. A few years ago, I beat my personal record for tree-keeping. I absolutely loved the tree I got that year. I never get the coned shaped ones. Mine are as wild looking as possible. This one fit into the decor so perfectly, I kept it up from the day after Thanksgiving until Passover. And the only reason I discarded it then was that I was going to visit a Jewish family to experience Passover that year and was afraid that this tree would dry up overnight and burn my apartment down... :lol: |
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Thu Dec 02, 2004 8:56 pm |
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| peacefulpath
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We always had a real tree too, but a few years ago, DH had had enough. After finding the best he could on the farm, cutting it down, doging the goats that lived there, tying it on the car, bringing it in, and setting it up, our DDs went to work decorating it. It was all decked, when all of a sudden.........the whole damn thing toppled over, spilling the water all over. After much grumbling, swearing under his breath, and then cleaning it up, he declared it was time for a fake one. Out that one went into the woods, as did all the others in the past, for a shelter for the local critters.
We went to BJ's the next day and found a really nice fake tree - very lifelike, and very big! (Couldn't afford a real tree as big as I really wanted one - it's an 8 footer) I've got some really nice fragrance oil on a cotton pad to give that real-tree smell.
And srwerner, you can develop allergies to the trees - I always got sick as a little kid at Christmas time. Didn't find out until I was a teenager that I had severe allergies to pine trees! (I've outgrown the allergies now)
My tree has a large collection of snowmen, including a lighted snowman topper. There are special ornaments that the kids made when they were little, and some special ones given to us in early in our marriage.
Sigh.....I love this time of year.... |
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Thu Dec 02, 2004 9:12 pm |
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| Yosh
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Unfortunately there isn't a woods nearby me to take the tree back to, but that's okay because I'm actually Buddhist :) My parents raised me with the commercial tradition of Christmas and the holidays so that we would "fit in" in a sort of way. We got the time off anyways, so we took advantage of it by carrying out the tradition of trees (artificial) and gifts, and holiday visits. My mom was a Catholic growing up, and raised me mostly Buddhist after my father's family. I got sick of the intense commercialism at holiday time in high school, and started to understand where Christmas really stemmed from so stopped celebrating Christmas. I didn't stop because I'm against it, if people celebrate Christmas religiously that's fantastic. I just stopped because well, that's not my religion . . . I started to enjoy the comfort and love of friends and family during our time holiday time off instead.
So now I will send out an annual update on my life to loved ones, will hand out gifts to very close people to me just out of tradition, will bake the holiday goods every year (because it gives me an excuse to bake which I love), and will make sure I visit or get in touch with someone in my life to catch up. |
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Thu Dec 02, 2004 9:25 pm |
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| Horseygrrrl
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Speaking of nostalgia....
My Mom was telling me about when she was a little girl her favorite ornament was a glass pineapple...although she thought it was a hand grenade! LOL But that was the one ornament she kept for years...until it was either lost or broken - she moved close to 15 times in a span of about 10 years...
But every year when they undecorated the tree they would removed the few ornaments that had meaning (the hand grenade!) and then from the other room they would shoot the rest of the ornaments off with the sling shot her Dad gave her for Xmas the prior year...that was their tradition.
LOL
Well, on Ebay I found a "glass Pineapple" ornament and bought it for her...I'm going to give it to her on Xmas Eve, rather than wait for Christmas Morning...so she can put it on the tree and remember those days with her Mom and Dad...
And as far as trees go...we went a few years with an artificial tree after the real tree spilled water all over the hardwood floor...eeek! We had a warped board that stuck up and made my Dad angry...LOL...but we went back to real trees a few years ago... |
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Thu Dec 02, 2004 9:46 pm |
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| srwerner
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LyndaB wrote: Perhaps it will make you rest a little easier when I tell you that I never just put my old tree curbside. I always take the tree and put it back into the woods as a shelter for birds and small animals.
I laughed when you mentioned a few weeks. A few years ago, I beat my personal record for tree-keeping. I absolutely loved the tree I got that year. I never get the coned shaped ones. Mine are as wild looking as possible. This one fit into the decor so perfectly, I kept it up from the day after Thanksgiving until Passover. And the only reason I discarded it then was that I was going to visit a Jewish family to experience Passover that year and was afraid that this tree would dry up overnight and burn my apartment down... :lol:
Good for you Lynda and peaceful path for thinking of the critters this time of year when it's chilly outside! :)
I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas, or Hanukkah or Kwanzza or whatever! :D |
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Thu Dec 02, 2004 9:49 pm |
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| colliegirl
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We have 64 acres of our own trees and decided a few years ago to go artificial, but this year I am going back to the real thing (or nothing) as I hate "putting the tree together" and the dust it accumulates. There is a "Charlie Brown" tree blocking my view to the game trail and it has to go, so it will be the tree of choice, although there are much more attractive trees to choose from. After Christmas, "Charlie" will go out on the deck decorated in dried fruits, popcorn, suet, etc. for the birds. When his needles are all gone, he will go into the wood stove, which is his destiny, be it now or at maturity. We don't have the luxury of gas heating.
LyndaB - you write so beautifully, you really should put it all together for a book sometime in the future. Whether you realize it or not, you are creating a journal for yourself in these threads and you have so much to say (I mean that in a nice way). There is something about the way you are so connected and aware of what is going on around you and the way you reflect daily life in your writing. I have a life-long friend with the same talent and she never ceases to amaze me with her letters. |
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Fri Dec 03, 2004 2:02 am |
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| colliegirl
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| PS - what makes our tree special? Tiny wooden ornaments the kids painted when they were small. |
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Fri Dec 03, 2004 2:03 am |
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| muskokabride
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I always get a real tree - just like my family did when I was growing up. Since trees are farmed for that purpose specifically, I have no problem with keeping it in the house for just a few weeks.
Perhaps strangely, my yearly tree cutting on the second Saturday of December, never includes my husband. My family (mom, dad, and sis and husband) along with LOTS of friends drive north of the city to a Christmas Tree farm each year (for the past 3 years since my sister and I have been married). The big group of us wear silly hats, take horse-drawn carrige rides, drink hot cocoa and tromp along in search of the perfect tree.
My husband is in charge of an annual platform tennis tournament every year on that weekend. Therefore, we always decorate the tree together on the Sunday. So far we've had a different tree every year depending on what I deem to be the "theme" - because my husband could really care less - lol. The first year was silver and blue, last year was gold and red, and this year silver and white with lots of sparkles and mirrored decorations.
Until we have kids, I think we'll continue to have these "designer-looking" trees.
BTW: All my wrapping paper and ribbons always co-ordinate with this theme... |
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Fri Dec 03, 2004 2:28 pm |
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| devon25
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| Well I think spending time with family memebers decorating the tree is sooo special. Just me and dss do it every year and we have an artifical tree. And I think thats what makes it special. I used to have real ones when I was a kid. I have been doing themes for the past 2 yrs. Last year I did it in victorian ornaments and victorian theme mostly red and gold. This year Im doing snowmen and blue and silver and blue and white lights on the tree. I have a snowman tree topper also this year and blue tree skirt.. I also have coordinating wrapping paper lol. |
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Fri Dec 03, 2004 3:20 pm |
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| muskokabride
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I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who co-ordinates the gift-wrapping with the tree decorations - lol!
I can just sit in my living room and stare forever at it all when it's done...
Oh yeah, I also have carols playing almost non-stop during this time of year, so my husband and I always sing-along when decorating. |
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Fri Dec 03, 2004 4:54 pm |
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| vickil
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We have a fake tree, against my objections. I was raised on real trees, but my husband's family always had fakes. I talked him into a real tree the first few years of our marriage, but he complained so much about the dry needles all over the place that I gave in and let him get the fake one. I figured marriage is about give and take, right? I didn't really mind giving on this one.
Our tree is always a mish-mash of all different kinds of ornaments. We always start with white lights and red and gold balls. Then we add our precious ornaments. I can't believe how sentimental they all are to me! Especially the ones with our son's picture. Starting when he was a baby we've had a new one every year. Along with all the ones he has made out of popsicle sticks, construction paper, etc.
We have an electric train set that goes around our tree and the only time we bring it out is at Christmas. We bought it when our son was 2 months old. I can still remember when we put it together for the first time and we laid him in the middle of the track on his stomach. He could barely raise up his head to watch the train going around him! My son and his friends still love playing with the train. I hope it still works this year!
Now I'm in the mood to decorate the tree! Hopefully we'll get it done this Sunday. Merry Christmas, y'all! |
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Fri Dec 03, 2004 8:49 pm |
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| LyndaB
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Hmmmmmmmmmm, Ani & Devon, I'm getting a little nostalgic for the days of coordinated paper on the gifts. This year, so far, we have Santa paper and SpongeBob paper... yup, I'm a stepmom... LOL... :lol:
Ani, your tree hunt sounds SO wonderful... I'd be there in a heartbeat!
Vicki, I love the train thing... my brother does that. DH actually collects two different size train setups... but he just hasn't taken the time to put anything together yet. Next year, we hope to fit some of the larger set into the garden and landscape around it. That'll be fun!
colliegirl, I'm so glad that you enjoy reading my thoughts. I love sharing my experiences with others. Thanks for the compliment. I love the Charlie Brown Christmas tree idea. I tend to pick out the tree that no one else could possibly want. I have started to call them my *folk art* Christmas trees. |
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Fri Dec 03, 2004 9:03 pm |
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| LyndaB
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How's this for a Christmas tree?
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Fri Dec 03, 2004 9:15 pm |
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