Christmas Traditions

There was a time quite a few years ago when my house was filled with the scent of pine and many other savory aromas as the Christmas holiday drew nearer. Now I have an artificial tree that looks great, but alas the smell of the great outdoors is no longer present. The tradition of bringing a live tree into my house passed away at the same time my uncle Theodore Miner passed away. He and I would go roaming through a natural growing pine covered forest near my grandparent Miner’s farm to cut a tree for my grandmother and one for my family.

Finding a perfect tree for each of us was a real chore. These pines grew wild and were only shaped by the winds and whims of nature. Armed only with a small saw, Ted and I searched through the wooded area for likely candidates often finding one that was too small or one that had flat or large bare spots. Many were eventually rejected and we walked on. My grandmother lived in an old farmhouse with twelve foot tall ceilings, so Ted had more leeway than I did choosing a tree.

My wife Cindy was very choosey with ours. The Christmas tree had to be full at the bottom and the star would have to brush the ceiling of our mobile home as it perched on the top. This created a problem for me. When I wandered among the trees of the grove, sometimes my judgment was off and I would have to lop off some of the tree I chose when I got home. One time to get the height I needed, I chose a very bushy tree. The height was right on, but the bottom branches spread out and filled half the width of our mobile home. We had to be careful where we walked not to brush against it and knock off the ornaments.

Today an artificial tree has replaced it. The ornaments we bought for our children over the years are now in their homes on their trees, although my tree is far from bare. With white lights, garland, and ornaments collected over the years, I can barely see the green of the needles.

The tradition that’s now replaced eating the Christmas meal at my parent’s house is the gathering at my sister Kathy Basinger and her husband Doug’s home for Christmas brunch. Their beautiful home was the house of our Grandparent’s Beck. Gathering there seems like the tradition is still being carried on. I’m wishing a very Merry Christmas to all of my readers, friends, and family.