It’s become a new tradition (I suppose this is an oxymoron, but traditions have to start somewhere.) that my aunt and I trim her Christmas tree during our annual Thanksgiving visit. And I have my friend, Noreen, to thank for this.
Over the years, Noreen has made Christmas a special time in her own home. She has a large house and therefore has more than one tree set up and decorated. I’ve lost count, but I think she does seven or eight trees in various rooms with various themes.
For a couple years now, Noreen and her husband, George, have also come to our house and helped decorate our tree. It’s not that I can’t do it myself; it’s that someone who really loves doing it can make a difference in the experience. And, out of Noreen’s help to us, I’ve learned to pass it on. Which is why my aunt and I now decorate her tree together.
The men drag out the tree and its stand from a basement hideaway. Then they leave for a health club, hoping we’ll get inspired in their absence. We usually do. Aunt Alice pulls out her boxes of ornaments and we set to work. For me, her ornaments are interesting because they are not the same as mine. (Perhaps that’s part of the fun for Noreen when she comes to help me decorate my tree.)
I think there’s a message here, and it is this. Decorating Christmas trees should be a time to reminisce, to study the ornaments and remember where they came from, to recall other Christmases either good or bad, and to take pleasure in the present when all the reminiscing is done.
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