Why Am I Enjoying My Christmas Tree So Much This Year?

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I love Christmas.  Always have.  I could listen to Christmas music 365 days a year.  I love the feelings I get this time of year.  I love remembering Christmases from my childhood.  I had the perfect childhood.  Not kidding.  Not one bit.  I had a perfect childhood. I used to get so excited on Christmas Eve that I would throw up.  I couldn't sleep. And when I came down those stairs on Christmas morning and saw all those presents displayed as only my Mom could do...err...umm...I mean as only Santa could do, I was the happiest little girl on earth!  Our gifts weren't wrapped.  They were displayed.  And I mean to tell you, they were DISPLAYED!  It was like walking into a toy store!  I don't want you to think we were spoiled.  We weren't.  We were extremely fortunate to have enough money to have a Christmas like that.  My Dad and Mom both worked HARD every single day...except Sundays...to provide for us kids.  Best parents any kid could ever ask for!  So you can see why I like Christmas.  There are such awesome memories in my mind and heart.  

Troy and I have always worked hard to provide Christmases for our boys and now our grandchildren and great granddaughter.  We do have a pretty good Christmas around here.  I love buying gifts and wrapping them.  We've had some lean Christmases, but we always made them seem lavish.  It's all about your attitude.  If you give your child gifts that costs very little, but are wrapped and presented in a way that shows your love, they won't even know you didn't pay much.  They will know you gave them a gift.  That's the beauty of kids. Now the older ones, they will know.  But you know what?  They will also know you love them and gave them what you could.  It's not about the money.  It's about the presentation and the feeling when your family is together. 

What's this have to do with my Christmas tree you may be asking about now?  I always seem to veer off path when I write these blog posts.  I have too many thoughts rattling around in my brain.  Too many tabs open!  Well, this year, as we ALL know, is a bit different.  This year, celebrations will be different.  We don't have any big parties to go to.  We can't meet a group of friends at a restaurant or winery to clelebrate Winter Solstice as we usually do.  We are home.  So this year, I feel like I'm enjoying the season a bit more.  I sat in my dark living room last night.  All the lights were off.  Just the Christmas tree was lit.  I sat here admiring it.  It is different this year.  I changed some things.  I felt it was appropriate.  I usually have a very elegant all white and gold tree.  This year, I have gingham ribbon, a rattan star on top, and a burlap tree skirt.  I bought red, green and white large bulb lights this year, and the white lights twinkle occasionally and randomly.  This tree represents 2020.  I am grateful for changes some times.  And I am grateful for having time at home this year to regroup, reaccess my life and goals.  I am grateful I have my husband after his heart attack, and that he has made some life changes to keep himself healthier.  I am grateful my son survived cancer and is now cancer free.  I am just plain grateful.  So when I look at my 2020 tree, I see change, but I see comfort, and I see gratitude.  Comfort in my memories. Gratitude knowing I am in my home, enjoying another holiday with family.  I do miss my friends, and I miss going out.  But I enjoy knowing that my home is safe and warm, and is illuminated by my 2020 Christmas tree standing strong....mostly because it's tied to the wall in two places.  And every time I look at it and see the funkly branch right in front that is actually growing up instead of out, and see the space at the top that is just seriously so obvious and can't be camoflaged, I see 2020.  Flaws, but who cares.  Here we are.  Celebrating Jesus' birth.  Celebrating love. Celebrating another year in the books....history books for sure...but done.  A little over a week and we welcome in 2021.  We CAUTIOUSLY welcome in 2021!  Haha!  Who knows what it will bring, but let's not worry about that yet!  Let's enjoy our Christmas trees.  Enjoy the lights.  Enjoy the family.  Enjoy every little gift, every big gift, and every thought that went into those gifts.  After all, that's what this season is about.  Love, giving, family.  The gift we were given that first Christmas morning can never be matched, but does it need to be?  No.  It was the ultimate gift.  Enjoy that gift given so freely to all of us.  Merry Christmas my friends!  



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