Christmas #1 - THE TREE

I do have fond memories of Christmas, but they are dim. I don't know whether to include Christmas Eve in with this BLOG or make it a separate one, or interweave it into others. Needless to say I will have more than one remembrance of Christmas.

I think this one will be about THE TREE. THE TREE never went up more than two days before Christmas, and usually on the 23rd, not Christmas Eve. Dad went to the Lutheran Church on Christmas Eve because they had a service, and our church did not (unless Christmas Eve happened to be on a Sunday). I recall mom urging "Carl" to put up the tree, but "Carl" had better things to do, I suppose, than to put up a free. "Carl" (my father) was really not handy with tools and using them even to put up a tree was a chore for him.

So, THE TREE went up around the 23rd, and that day also mom got out her special decorations, like she had a couple of beautiful ceramic angels. Dad would check out the lights -- no bubble lights on our tree, though. I remember the Fishers (members of our church) had bubble lights, and I used to love to go visit them just to watch those things bubble up. But we had no bubble lights, just plain colored lights (red, blue, green, yellow/orange, and white). And if one went out, all went out.

Mom would make decorations for the front and back door, cutting her yew plants in the front of the house and using those greens for her decoration, tying it with a big red bow. That also went up on the 23rd.

THE TREE was decorated with dad's family ornaments, of which I still have a few that survived, as they were all glass, not plastic. THE TREE also had tinsel. Now that was something I wasn't allowed to help with. Dad was very particular about tinsel, and it had to hang just right. My concept of tinsel was to throw it on the tree and wherever it landed, was okay. So, as soon as my dad saw me do that, the tinsel was swiped out of my hand and Judith was told to sit down and watch.

THE TREE was topped with a tin star, if I recall correctly. And dad would make sure either a white or yellow light was just below it so it was sort of lit. THE TREE was always put in the bay window on the side near the kitchen.

What few gifts we received were placed under the tree on Christmas Eve to be opened on Christmas morning.