Christmas Traditions

There was a time that my house was filled with the scent of pine and other savory aromas the nearer the Christmas holiday came. The artificial tree looks great, but alas the smell of the outdoors is no more. The tradition of bringing a live tree into the house passed when my uncle Theodore passed away. He and I would go roaming through a pine covered area near the farm to cut a tree for my grandmother Miner and one for me and my family.

Finding the perfect tree was a real chore. These pines grew wild and were shaped by the whims of nature. Armed only with a small saw, Ted and I searched the area for likely candidates finding this one too small and that one had bare areas. They were eventually rejected. My grandmother lived in an old farmhouse with twelve foot tall ceilings, so Ted had more leeway than I did. Cindy was very choosey with our tree. It had to be full and the Christmas tree star had to brush the ceiling of our mobile home. This created a problem. When I was among the trees in the grove, sometimes my judgment was off and I would have to cut more off when I got it home. One time, to get the height, I had to choose a very bushy tree. The height was right on, but the bottom of the tree branches spread out wide. They filled half the width of the trailer and we had to be careful as we walked by not to knock off any of the ornaments.

Today, the artificial tree has taken its place. The ornaments that we bought our children each year now reside in their homes on their trees. My tree is far from bare. With the lights, garland, and ornaments collected over the years, I can barely see the green needles.

A tradition that has now replaced eating the family meal at my house is the gathering at my Sister Kathy and her husband Doug’s home for a Christmas brunch. Their beautiful home is the house of our Grandparent’s Beck. Gathering there seems like a tradition is still carried on within these familiar walls. I wish a very Merry Christmas to all of my readers, friends, and family.