One of my favorite parts of Christmas is bringing a live tree into the house. I have been looking at life through the eye of an artist this year. I realize so much of life, how we decorate our homes, what we cook, and what we wear are reflections of what we think and feel. I also realize the more thoughtful we are about something, it justdoesn't turn out how we want it to.
My favorite family memories of when I was young was picking out the Christmas tree. We didn't travel far. We went to Huhn's in South Belmar (now Lake Como). It was a nursery on a busy corner in the next town over. When we would search for the perfect tree, believe it or not it cost us just one dollar. There was a pile of outcasts of dollar trees. My brother, sister and I loved watching the Charley Brown holiday shows together. We would take a really long time at the pile to pick out the perfect one. My brother's job was to hold up the tree and twirl it and my sister, mother and I would make sure there were no big holes or gaps in between the branches. As, we got older this pile became a 5 dollar tree and my dad would moan and groan each time the price was higher.
When we got home we would decorate the tree with ornaments saved from year to year and one's we made. My favorites were photo ornaments of loved ones we didn't see all the time. We had a method of adding the tinsel my mom would get mad at us, so mad she would have to leave instead of partaking. My brother would throw the tinsel on and my sister and I would seperate the strands to cover all the gaps. My brother or dad would put the lights on first. But, again my mom would get so mad at my brother for just throwing the lights on. I idolized my brother and really appreciated the joy that it gave him to just throw it, and knew we would always fix it so it looked pretty.
The last year we did this together, the thought of finding a nice tree for five dollars was torture. And, we started to protest. Why can't we buy a beautiful, perfect tree for $25 like everyone else. And, that is when we would hear: "because you are NOT like anyone else". And, a miracle happened. We walked up the 5 dollar pile and picked the most awful tree and decided no one else was going to buy it, so we should. We all agreed the quickest ever ( I think it was raining or cold ). My mom decided she wanted to make a snow paste with ivory snow laundry detergent and glitter. What a mess! But, with lots of tinsel we thought it looked beautiful. But, it went down in our family history as the year we had a Charley Brown Christmas tree.
Last year after Christmas I found these Victorian inspired candle lights for half price. So, I knew this year I wanted a small tabletop tree to fit the lights. Each light had to be clipped and they would tilt and not stay where I would place them. I also was going to sell my breakable ornaments and make paper flat ornaments for this and my future trees. I get so sad when I break these expensive ornaments that cost ten times what we used to pay for our Christmas tree. But, as I took my decorations out, the Christopher Radko angel ornament was hung on the tree first thing! I stepped back when I was all done and just thought YUK! Really, really not happy with how it turned out. But, I know I want to make more ornaments, and a new topper and I will be happier next year with what I keep. I will list on Ebay the ornaments, but not save them until Christmas time to sell. I will probably list them in January, while I have them out. But, I may not be ready to sell, yet. They do still bring me joy to put on the tree.
I love looking at all of everyone's trees on facebook. I hope if you read this from the post on facebook you share a picture of your tree in the comments.
Quote of the day: 14
Oprah Winfrey
“What you find beautiful has a lot to do with where you’ve been and what you’ve seen and the people you’ve met along the way. When I was just starting out as a local news reporter in Baltimore, a beautiful home meant two (count ‘em, two!) of those wicker throne chairs from Pier 1 Imports and a ficus tree that sent me into sticker shock. After The Color Purple, a beautiful home meant walking into the furniture department of Marshall Field’s and, with the help of one of their decorators, scarfing up all things contemporary. My Chicago apartment was done in cool white with an aubergine bedroom that in my fantasy felt sort of womblike but in reality was pretty tomblike, even on sunny days. Still, everything was glossy and chic, slick and sleek — exactly the place I thought a successful TV personality was supposed to have … Over time your sense of self evolves.
Hopefully, you grow into a deeper, more thoughtful version of who you are. Your need to please falls away and what is left is the blessed realization that you really don’t have anything to prove to anyone. At a certain point, you buy the shoes and pocketbook that feel right, instead of the ones that will impress people. You opt for muted tones that flow from one room to the next, you choose the sofa that makes you want to curl up with a good book on a Sunday afternoon, and create a space that makes your friends stop remarking on the exquisite art and start talking the night away. You let go of the cold stone floors that felt wrong from the start, and at long last you come home to floors made of old oak, floors that feel warm beneath your feet and bring peace and joy with every step forward you take. Those are exactly the steps I’m taking now.” —Oprah, February 2013
Song of the day:
Christmas Tree : A Charlie Brown Christmas
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