Christmas Tree

While I was at therapy last Friday my husband and grandson got all the Christmas decorations down from the attic and put up our artificial tree. My husband put the angel on top (The angel is Harold, of Hark the Harold angel fame.) The rest of the tree was mine to decorate. DQ and I had a few Hallmark moments as we put on the decorations. Some of the decorations are old and have been on our tree since we married long ago. Our children made some of them. We have styrofoam meat trays cut into cookie cutter shapes and sprinkled with glitter. They still have the kids’ names written on the back in their childish hand. Friends gave many of the decorations to us; others are souvenirs of trips we have made. It is a tree full of memories.

DQ went off to play video games, and my husband napped. I thought about my mother. When I was a girl decorating the tree was a major holiday event. Every year without fail when we finished my mother would say, “It’s the prettiest tree we ever did have!” When I married and moved across the country every year without fail I would call my mother and tell her that this year we again had the prettiest Christmas tree we ever did have. My mother is gone. I miss her.

I want all of you to know that this year we have the prettiest Christmas tree we ever did have.