This past week we decorated for Christmas- another big highlight of the Christmas season for me. While decorating I realized one of the reasons I look forward to pulling out all the Christmas decorations. It's not our designer Christmas tree or fashionable ornaments but strolling down memory lane. Most of our ornaments have been given to us as gifts over the years and each one reminds me of a person or time in my life that has been special. Our $8 Christmas tree from Goodwill will never be featured in Better Homes and Gardens but that does not diminish how much we enjoy cuddling on the couch singing Christmas carols each day admiring this tree.
The first stop on memory lane while decorating was pulling up YouTube and finding Amy Grant's Christmas album from 1983. This was the cassette we listened to every year while trimming the tree. I still love the synthesizer music.
Next I brought up the tree. While I am still a strong supporter of real Christmas trees and the experience of going to a Christmas tree farm as a family to select the perfect tree, we haven't been able to do that lately so we settle for a much less than perfect fake tree. I bought the tree at Goodwill the first year of our marriage and I think it will be a symbol of that stage in our lives for a long time- newly weds with tons of student loans trying to decorate for Christmas on a budget. This tree has a tendency to fall over so I did secure it with textbooks but it still has a precarious lean to one side. Other budget decorating choices was our tree topper which is a bow left over from our wedding decorations and our tree skirt (important to cover up the calculus textbooks) is a throw blanket. It was time to put on the lights and garland. In a once-in-a-lifetime event both strands of our Christmas lights came out of storage without getting tangled up and all the lights worked the first time I plugged them in.
Finally it was time for the main event-- putting on the ornaments. I have a large collection of angel ornaments and snowmen. Arthur brought an assortment of less feminine items to the tree-- Superman, football players, and Santa in a fighter jet and sports car. It is a fun mix to have Superman in the midst of the angelic host.
One of the main features on our tree is my collection of Mary's Angels. As a kid our neighbors that lived down the street would get me one of these angels each year and Arthur has continued the tradition with getting me these ornaments for my birthday. I'm not into collecting but it turns out that the first ornament came out the year I was born and I have the full set. Each angel is doing or holding something different making them pretty unique. Supposedly the first angel looks similar to me as a baby.
My grandmother also gave each grandchild a snowman ornament each year. Many years they even had our names on them. Each of these snowmen are a lot of fun.
My parents will often get us Christmas ornaments that reflect something about the past year-- a special event, somewhere we went, or a stage in our lives. During grad school I spent the month of December doing a clinical in Missouri and during that time I lived with a lady who worked at the clinic. This gal had two cats that always seemed to be in my room hanging out with me even though I have a general dislike towards all cats. This is a cute ornament that reminds me of that nomadic lifestyle but also the generosity of a stranger who opened up her home and welcomed a random student for a month. She included me in her life, fed me, and drove me to work all as a free gift since I was still paying rent for an apartment in Kansas City. In this Christmas story there was room at the inn even if I had to share it with cats.
In high school my first vehicle was a bright blue Ford Ranger that I shared with my younger brother. This truck was later dubbed the Danger Ranger by kids in our school. I'm pretty sure that wasn't because of my driving but possibly my brother's antics. During that same time we were the 2 man crew at the Christmas Tree farm. We would load up the equipment in the back of the Ranger, drive it out to the field, and spend the day trimming Christmas trees. While I don't have particularly fond memories of having my little brother be my boss that year I was fond of the truck and it still probably smells of pine needles, bug spray, and Zep (the industrial lubricant we used on the trimming blades).
I didn't know when I married Arthur that one of the things he would bring into our marriage was a beautiful Nativity that included 3 camels. (I always wanted a Nativity scene with camels). While the camels aren't a make it or break it for our marriage it was a wonderful surprise for me the first time I opened the box. He received this Nativity scene from his high school youth leader as a graduation present. It reminds me to be forever thankful for the people in our lives who encouraged our walks with Christ. These are special people especially if they are willing to work with high school kids-- thank you!
One of our newest decorations was actually a gift we received from Arthur's grandparents this year at Thanksgiving. I'm so glad that they decided to hold Christmas early so we could display this beautiful piece during the Advent season. It is a Nativity scene in the shape of a tree with wonderful details in each figure.
Christmas isn't about the decorations, the lights (but oh how I love Christmas lights), the trees, the glit or the glam. It's about family, friends, traditions, and memories. Most importantly it is about recognizing our Savior leaving his throne in Heaven, taking on flesh and becoming Immanuel, God with us, meeting us where we are at. Omnia Vincit Amor.
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