Are you putting up your tree today? I am! And I want to tell you a story of Christmas trees and handmade ornaments.
When I was little, we lived on a back-to-the-land farm in Northwestern Pennsylvania.
We had 20 acres of woods and swamp with a stream running through. In other words, heaven.
My dad planted a little blue spruce plantation way back in the woods in an abandoned fiels. Today, those 40-year-old trees are towering giants, but back then they were out Christmas trees.
Every winter us kids would tromp out following in Dad’s footprints in the snow. Down the hill, across the frozen swamp, through the woods, over the river (Dad crossed three times, each time carrying one of us kids) and up another hill to the Christmas tree plantation.
We made a big deal of picking the perfect tree that Mommy would love the most. (She always stayed home with a cup of coffee, smart lady!) And Dad would let us “help” cut the tree down and we (he) would drag it home triumphant.
Later (after the snow mostly melted off the tree on the porch) Dad would set it up in the old tree stand and we’d help Mom hang the homemade ornaments she (and we) had made over the years. Handpainted wooden ornaments, blown out eggs she’d painted herself, little “cookie dough” ornaments that smelled like cinnamon and other ornaments handed down and that friends had given us.
Now, I’m adding my own handmade ceramic Christmas ornaments to our tree and I know my son will cherish them, he already does!!
We weren’t a religious family, but I grew up loving Christmas. The traditions and time spent together. We didn’t even care about Christmas presents (HAHAHA, JUST KIDDING!!) We loved Christmas presents and still do. But now for different reasons. Now, I love giving people presents that become a meaningful experience for them.
Give the gift of happy memories. Give some of my handmade ceramic Christmas ornaments!
Hope you’re enjoying this day with your family every bit as much as I am.
Merry Christmas/Hannukah/Winter Solstice/Kwanzaa!!