Backstory
My homes were always well decorated for the holidays. There would be lots of relatives and friends visiting, and all that shimmering set the stage for fun and laughter. As the years went by, things toned down. Old or damaged things were discarded, space got smaller, and deletions were deliberate. Until now, we are down to one central adornment – the Christmas tree.
No Christmas Tree This Year
This year is the first time we are going to have no Christmas tree. We planned to leave our home, up north, just before Christmas to spend the winter in Florida. So why bother dragging out all of those ornaments and lights and stuff? It would be so much easier this way.
Of course, I did love looking at the sparkling angel that topped the tree. A gift received long ago from a dear friend who is no longer with us.
After the holiday last year, I packed the Christmas ornaments into boxes labeled with the names of each of my kids and grandkids. I included in each a list of who made each ornament, why it was purchased, or who had gifted it – even how it was found at a yard sale or a craft sale. Opening each of those boxes this year would have brought back so many happy, sometimes distant memories.
Well, I can just remember it all this year without all the fuss. No tree. No trouble. Make sense. Who needs it?
I thought of the lights flickering different colors on the tree branches and the tree skirt made by my sister surrounding its base, barely visible with all the gaily-wrapped gifts that usually cover it.
On the other hand, it IS only once a year. And we WILL be here for most of December. Ah shucks, we can do without a tree NEXT year. For this year, bring it on. Christmas, I am yours!
P.S. Ours will not be one of those houses bowed by the weight of a million Christmas lights. But we sure do enjoy visiting the lit-ups. Will the rising cost of power this year discourage flipping the switch? Several long-time displays have been closed down recently. Don’t worry. Other young families will come along and fill the gap. Merry Christmas will endure.
[Show #469]
