Tiny vintage floral pick—Santa is hanging out in the packaging area of Mireio reminding me of the Christmas Spirit all year long.

December 1, 2011

It’s brisk and bright—classic late autumn weather to usher in December. A month of season changes and celebrations. An ending to a year.

How did we get to December? This year has been a whirlwind.

We are encamped in our living room—and I’m sitting in our bed (where our sofa should be) writing this and wondering, “Where in the heck am I going to put a Christmas Tree?”  No, seriously, I’m asking. The living room and the contents of my closet are now in the dining room.  To complicate matters new carpets are scheduled to be installed on the main floor right before New Years. So, I’m trying to figure out how I’m supposed to get all this put back together, put up a tree, only to take it right back down again.

I’m going to pitch the idea of a bathroom tree to the boys later today, but you know that’s not going to fly.

The ideal solution would to be to just skip putting up a tree this year. Less hassle, no pressure, less mess, no money—but, if your house is anything like mine, then you know the bathroom tree is a more likely solution. A Christmas Tree is synonymous with the Christmas Spirit around these parts. It’s just not Christmas without one.

Faux or real, I suspect it has less to do with the tree itself  and more to do with the tradition of putting one up. Less to do with how your decorate or when you decorate, but that you do so with cheer in your heart and goodwill toward mankind  and maybe a few curse words under your breath for that ball of twinkle lights! Star or angel on top, it always feels more like Christmas when we finally have a tree.

This year is going to prove to be a real challenge. Not that other years haven’t been challenging. December is never a good month on the financial side of things, and there have been years when we really couldn’t afford one. Where the choice was between food or tree and often the tree won out! Let’s call it a diet. We don’t need Christmas ham. . . left-overs will do.

Early in our marriage, we were so poor that it wasn’t even a choice. We hardly had money for rent and food—a Christmas tree was out the question. I moped for days. I decorated the house with our all our ornaments, piled them up in bowls. But it didn’t feel like Christmas. It felt like I was trying too hard. No amount of Holiday Music or hot cocoa could get me out of my funk. IZ, ever the optimist, kept reminding me that we were together and that’s what counted. And then, being IZ,  he waited until just before Christmas and came home with the LAST tree on the lot. Probably the last tree in town. And not just any last tree, a five dollar tree propped in front of Safeway.

Our expectations weren’t high. In fact, we were sure it was a  Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tree.  IZ carefully cut the twine  and what unfolded was the most beautiful tree I’d ever seen. Six feet of woodsy pineapple smelling Frasier Fir. It was perfection—in shape and form and looked like it had just been cut that day. A Christmas Miracle. For five dollars. The Christmas Spirit arrived once again, though a bit close to the deadline, delivered that year by the ever optimistic IZ.

I suspect the Christmas Spirit will prevail as it always does, and we’ll find just the right place to put up a tree. At this moment, I have no idea where that will be. But, I have faith we’ll figure it out.

It just wouldn’t be Christmas without a tree.

So tell me, what’s your Christmas Tree tradition?