Happy December

It’s December already. I can’t believe how fast time flies. (It flies even faster as we get older.) In all the hustle and bustle of the holiday, try to remember a happy December when we looked at Christmas through the eyes of a child. Memories and traditions are a big part of our holiday celebrations, starting with putting up a tree.

I remember as a kid going tree shopping. It seemed like Dad always picked the snowiest, coldest day to make the rounds to all the tree lots. We always ended up buying our tree from the lot on the corner of Trumbull and Center in Bay City. It never failed that Mom would pick the ugliest tree. We were definitely the house with the Charlie Brown Christmas tree! One year, the trunk was so crooked that my father had to wire it to the wall – that was interesting. But we kids didn’t care – we couldn’t wait to get it up. Remember helping your parent decorate the tree? I say parent because that was mother’s job; Dad’s job was to sit and watch and to let us know when we missed a spot. An ornament here and there, a sprig of tinsel…we fast grew tired of that project. When it was all said and done, all the ornaments were at the bottom and the tinsel ended up in bunches. Isn’t it amazing that you awoke on Christmas morning to the most beautiful tree!

My husband grumbles and complains every year when it comes time to putting up the tree but I remember my mother’s words, “No complaints, a tree is part of the season. Think of it as Jesus, standing tall and firmly planted, branches spread out to receive us in love. The color green signifies the life force through the year and Jesus is our life source. The lights symbolize that He is the light of the world. The star and/or angel top serves to remind us of his birth and why he came into the world.” I’m sure there’s more to this story that I’ve long forgotten, but I do know one thing, Christmas was never more lovely then when you were a child; we could use a little bit of Christmas all year long…so try to remember a happy December as you deck the halls with boughs of holly! (We’ll talk about holly, later.)

(Tell your friends and neighbors about my blog. Watch for fascinating Christmas trivia right here in this blog. Next writing, I’ll share the meaning of the Christmas tree, how it came to be and how it ended up in our living rooms!)