Finally
Finally Christmas really feels just around the corner. Today we decorated our tree, and somehow the ancient ritual smoothed the path to the clearing of Christmas. It started with tidying up my ridiculously untidy sitting room, moving to the second Act of rummaging in the dusty loft for the ancient box of decorations clawed to death by the three cats of the house. The last Act is always finding those lovely baubles which we forget every year only to be reminded just how glorious they are when they come out. Characters from childhood, and even the glittery ones we made the year my husband and I split up and we had no Christmas decorations from our marriage so we made them from shiny paper and ribbon. They, of course, because they are the oldest have the most special memories. Memories of the first Christmas we had as a new family.
And the finale? Getting the tree out of its box. Yes, climate change guilt hit our household last year and my tree is now a plastic one which looks as good as it did last year.
And you know what? In some ways, it is even more fun than putting up a 'real' one. Ours comes with a main stem and branches which are colour coded and need to be slotted into the main column. That means we all have to help which makes it a genuinely co-operative occasion. Eldest daughter insisted on decorating the dog with fairy wings and tinsel, twin one slotted in the branches and twin two was winding the lights around the branches. Mother Minerva, meanwhile, was engaged in the age old ritual of checking the lights, discarding the broken ones and untangling those curly green wires. Mince pies heated in the oven combined with crisps completed our happy picture.
Now even our dingy hall is smiling with fairy lights curving from door to door, tinsel garlanding our pictures and that wonderful tree shining like a beacon of hope and happiness through the windows.
I am so close I can smell Christmas in the air, see Rudolph's nose pointing to London and if I listen very closely, hear sleigh bells in the wind.
Minerva
9 comments:
Wow! I can see that picture in my mind :-)
We too put up our tree, from a box, today. It does help bring the seasonal festive cheer when the decorations go up. Mince pies and happy children help too :)
Other than having to tidy up Minerva, it sounds like you had a really fun day!
Bernie and I never put up a tree because we never had any children and so we have always gone over to my sister, Betty's for Christmas.
We do put lights on the outside of the house though.
Every Christmas for 34 years we have gone to Betty's and we can't break the tradition, eh?
The last couple of years because of her oldest daughter[34] and her oldest son[32] finally moving out and buying their own home, Christmas day has moved over to Rachel's.
I think a plastic Christmas tree is just fine.
Every Christmas, it breaks my heart when I see all the real Christmas trees thrown out like rubbish at the side of so many houses, with just a few tinsels here and there of the finery that they enjoyed for just a few short weeks and then they are all collected by the garbage man and burnt...Way too sad Minerva!
You can just get a can of pine smelling air freshener to spray about..!
And then it will smell like Christmas!.........Love Terry
PS Minerva you have given me the joy of Christmas this year and the importance of cherishing each moment of it with family and friends and strangers that need a little cheering!! Thank you my dear friend!!!!
Merry Christmas to Minerva, menagerie of dog and cats, and beautiful daughters!!!!!
wonderful!
You are clearly going to enjoy Christmas.
Love.
A fine reminder of Christmas, Minerva.
We got our stuff all set up and it is just so cool to do. The kids decorate the lower three feet of the tree and then we spread all the ornaments out when they go to bed.
It just sort of makes it all official in one's mind. Of course, now you've got me pining for mine pies.....grrrrrrrr.
I hope you all have a very Happy Christmas.
Sleigh bells ring...When you are listening you can hear them all over the world while the lights of Christmas glimmer like the brightest stars in the heavens. As the trees are trimmed and the carefully wrapped packages placed under them, the world in silent slumber sleeps in anticipation of the excitement when families wake to celebrate the profound love and joy of being together.
Dear sweet Minerva, I wish you and your children these magic gifts of Christmas.
As long as you can hear the bells then you haven't outgrown the magic! I hope neither of us ever do!
alan
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