Welcome back! Now it’s the night before Christmas… for real. Are you ready? I am … well except for wrapping all my presents… and I’m almost finished cleaning up the back living room to make it habitable… we need the extra extra space to social distance tomorrow. So… do you want to hear about my most beautiful ever tree? I’m thinking you must, because you’re back.
I’ll start by admitting that even though I don’t like decorating the Christmas tree I always seem to be the one to lead the charge. This year we were running out of time. On Wednesday Toni, Ron and June were at Lola’s Round Table and Clarence had disappeared after he shortened the tree and got it standing (independently) upright. Jasmine, Micah and I decorated the tree. I can’t remember the last time I decorated a tree with an almost three year old, but it was fun.
I remember decorating our Christmas tree at home as I was growing up. What stands out the most in my memory was the predictability of that Christmas tree. Always a Scotch Pine, bought from a lot in Windsor for a couple dollars about two weeks before Christmas. I remember the metal tree stand and the strings that tied the trunk in two directions so that it wouldn’t fall over. We hung Christmas cards on those strings. The rest of the cards sat on the wooden valances over our windows. Then there were the decorations. Starting with a set of bulbs that I’m thinking were bought by, or given to my mom and dad, shortly after they were married. My grandma had the same set, and I still have most of those bulbs in my box of Christmas decorations. There were birds that clipped on the branches and glass balls. And there were ornaments we made at school.
Usually my mom and dad would sit back and watch us decorate. Sometimes my mom would tell us the significance of a piece. She might suggest a place that “needed something” on the tree. What I remember clearly is that she would always tell us when we finished that the tree was beautiful. I also remember my dad telling us not to put tinsel icicles on it (he thought it wrecked the tree), but we always had a tree with icicles.
When Clarence and I first became foster parents the decorating of the tree was interesting. Besides Clarence and I our family included four little kids and three older ones. Ruthie wasn’t one yet, and Toni and Ron were three and four. Shannon wasn’t ours officially but she had already captured my heart. Everyone was excited when we started to decorate. A short time into the activity Clarence and I sat looking at each other… all the older kids had drifted away. They were overwhelmed by the memories and feelings that came to them. That incident taught us the importance of seeing each experience through the child’s eyes.
Back to the prettiest tree ever. Micah was amazing. Apparently the angel that has graced the top of our tree for years was supposed to be a star. Blippi’s tree had a star. In the end he was content when he an I put three felt stars in a group together near the bottom of the tree. He counted them over and over, and I’m sure he understands the association between the number three and the amount three. Then there were the candy canes. Micah loves them. I don’t think I liked candy canes when I was two… I could live without them at sixty-eight. But this little boy had the whole box of candy canes on the tree, all within his reach. Later in the day we caught on that he had eaten a couple of them and taken a bunch to store in the back of his truck. He was quite upset when he saw them being put on the higher branches. Don’t worry, he got a candy cane today and he went to bed very excited that there will be presents tomorrow.
I’ve been thinking about my tree all day because I knew I was going to finish up this blog. My tree is full of memories. There are ornaments made by our kids, grandkids, foster kids and crafty adults in our lives. There are: Baby’s First Christmas, Our First Christmas Together, Mom, Dad, Sister, and tiny little angels with the kids names on them… so many reminders of so many blessings.
If you read yesterday’s post you saw some pictures. The lone red star is part of that bulb collection I remember from my childhood. You’ll see one that says Phillip with angel wings. Phil’s first dad sent that to us after he died. If you look close at that picture you’ll also see a little ornament with my mom’s picture on it. Now take a look at the tree. Like I said, the bulbs show up white but they are coloured. The tinsel is hanging down in the front and the candy canes are all up top. How thankful I am for my little helper. I see Disney princesses, beautiful pottery and stained glass ornaments. There is a gold, cardboard wreath with tiny macaroni decorations on it. (Ron made that when he was three). You’ll notice lots of angels on the tree. In past years we put all the angels near the top to make the Angel Chorus, but this year we didn’t. As I look, I still picture them as part of the heavenly host praising God, and saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests!
Our tree doesn’t have matching bows and bulbs. Our ornaments are placed with perfection by hands of all sizes. The tinsel is crooked. The angel doesn’t sit quite right on the top… but the tree is perfect…. We’ve never had a prettier one.
It’s almost Christmas Day. The day we celebrate God Himself, laying aside His heavenly glory to come to this broken, weary world. Sing it with the angels:
Hail, the heav’n-born Prince of peace
Hail! the Son of Righteousness
Light and life to all he brings
Risen with healing in his wings
Mild he lays his glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King
Janet Weiler 