Only one? Yes, only one. I usually have two regular-sized trees, with a few smaller ones scattered about as well. The "front room" of the house holds the fake tree and is the one seen from the street. I color coordinate it to match the room (surprise), and it's a pleasant holiday eye-catcher when anyone enters the house from the front door.
Our second tree is located in the "back room". It is our main tree and is where we both place and open gifts. This tree is traditionally huge and freshly cut, the scent of pine in the air and the stickiness of sap on the floor. Every year, I have a moment or two when I think about doing this tree in a theme as well, one that matches the decor of the room. This year, I had a woodland theme in mind, with ivory and browns floating through my matchy-matchy obsessed head.
But as I drug the multitude of boxes out of the barn and started to open the treasures within, I quickly realized there would be no woodland theme this year or any in the near future. For how could I keep these memories boxed up in favor of color coordination?
Our ornaments are an eclectic mix, some being gifts from friends and family, while others were bought by us because they meant something special. There are ornaments from vacations- a Hawaiian shirt from Maui, and a Wall-e the robot ornament from our trip to Disneyworld. There are firefighter and nurse ornaments, as well as several sport-themed orbs to represent all of our families interests. There is a baby grand piano for me, ornaments that have been handed down from generations on both sides of our families, and of course the annual hand-made ornaments constructed by our children over the years at their school Christmas parties.
Spongebob is represented, as well as Cabbage Patch Kids and The Green Bay Packers. And as I stood back and really looked at our tree, I realized it already had a theme. A theme that represents the story of our family, and one that should never be replaced by a boring set of pre-matched ornaments.
So tonight's picture celebrates the traditional Christmas tree. May it represent more than a time of year to make the house look pretty. Take the time to unwrap each treasure for what it is- a memory, and take a moment to remember what led that particular ornament to your tree's limbs. One day, hopefully my own kids will have ornaments on their trees that were once on ours, and have fond memories of the holidays, vacations, and family events that they represent.
No comments:
Post a Comment