Memories of Christmas Trees

When I was a child, we always had a real Christmas tree.  I remember tromping around in the snow (yes there was actually snow back then) in my snowsuit, with my siblings in a 'forest' looking for the perfect tree.  My dad would bring a saw and crawl under the tree and down it would come.

The years passed and I got too busy to go with my dad and younger siblings to look for the tree.

When I was dating my dear one, we, along with my sisters and their boyfriends, went to cut down my parents' tree and I realized that the 'forest' was just just a tree farm and most of the trees were actually pretty small.  Amazing what a little height will do for you.

The next year, when my dear one and I were engaged, my parents got an artificial tree.  The horror!  But, things change and my dad wasn't feeling the need to go cut one down and, with wedding plans in full swing, I think it was just easier.

That turned out to be a year-round tree in 1983.  My mom decided not to take it down (either that or she just never found the time).  So in January she hung New Year's decorations on it, in February it was decorated in hearts.  Of course March saw it wearing shamrocks and in April the replies to the wedding invitations were cut into bells and hung on the tree.

May was kind of a blur with the wedding, but each month got a unique set of decorations depending on the celebration that took place.

The tree finally came down in November!  My dear one and I used the top of it for a tiny Christmas tree in our first apartment. I don't remember if my parents had a tree that year.

Eventually, when all the kids moved out they reduced the tree to a color-changing fiber optic table top model.  The less clutter the better.

Now, they don't have a tree at all. Instead they decorate the mantle with a Christmas stocking for each person in the family.  All the stockings are hand-made and decorated with the names and there is a "?" stocking for a  baby-on-the-way.  They haven't had to use that one in a while. The Jesus stocking hangs  bottom center and when nice things are done the person's name and good deed go into the stocking as  gifts for Jesus' birthday.  Each grandchild gets a candy cane and a gold dollar.  It's a great tradition that started when our oldest daughter and the oldest grandchild came along.  It keeps things simple for my parents and the grandkids love it.

I'm looking forward to getting our tree this weekend.  The weather will determine if it is pre-cut or harvested.  Either way, it always brings back memories of my childhood and a hope that the memories our children carry will be just as special.