OH, CHRISTMAS TREE!!

For almost every Christmas of my adult life, I’ve had real trees in my home. The smell of pine coupled with the soft twinkle of lights, is magical. In my 20’s, when I lived in tiny apartments, I had little trees in pots which I decorated with miniature decorations. After the holidays, I planted them back in the wild. As time went by and my homes and family grew, so did the trees.

Now that my children are grown, my enthusiasm for a tree has dimmed. I’m no longer wild about loading it on the car, dragging it through rain or snow into the front door, propping it up in water and standing on a ladder to string the lights. Even the memories of unwrapping ornaments, placing them on the boughs, then rewrapping each and packing them back in boxes by myself feels exhausting.

This year, I decided there would be no tree. Just the idea of it overwhelmed me. My girls were coming home for Christmas so I wondered what I could do instead. Perhaps we could go to a local landmark where they always have a spectacular tree to enjoy? Maybe put lights on the cactus outside? An artificial tree feels hollow and not helpful to the environment. So maybe better to have none at all and just enjoy being together.

These ideas were running through my head as I returned home from a Thanksgiving trip. When I entered the house and set down my suitcase, there was an unmistakable scent of pine. I turned the corner to find the most beautiful tree shimmering in front of me. It was strung with lights and my homemade decorations sparkled from the boughs. Tears streamed down my cheeks.

As a surprise–and it was a surprise like no other– my oldest daughter had orchestrated the entire event in my absence. It was as if she had read my mind and realized I just wasn’t up to it anymore. Perhaps, she felt it was now her turn to share our tradition. The sight of her tree still leaves me in awe. It is worth more than any words I can summon, so I wanted to share it with you.