I remember my first Christmas tree. The year was a few years after I moved out on my own. Don and I were dating and I had my own apartment. We picked out the tree from a local lot and brought it home. It was a perfectly shaped Noble Fir. Even though I had the perfect tree, I had no ornaments for it.
Except one. My boss had given me an ornament along with his wishes for a Merry Christmas. It was a cheap looking plastic globe type with a little ice rink scene within the ball. I'm sure it was inexpensive and not much thought went into it's purchase, but I loved it. Ever since that first year, it has been one of my most prized and loved ornaments and it holds a prominent place on my tree each year.
But my beautifully shaped tree didn't go unadorned that year. Don asked his mom if she had any extra ornaments that she would be willing to give me for my tree. I don't know if they were "extra" or not, but she gave me a small collection of ornaments that instantly became very special to me. She never asked for them back and I still hang many of them on my tree every year.
My first Christmas tree will forever hold a special place in my heart. I can close my eyes and still see it, remembering exactly how it looked with it's twinkling lights and the few ornaments hanging from it's perfect limbs. That first tree started my love for the Christmas tree and ornaments.
Not having a tree up this year has left me with an empty feeling where there normally would be an awe and love for the many ornaments displayed. I didn't realize how big of a part my tree would play in connecting me to the Christmas spirit that seems to elude me this year. I will take this as a lesson learned and plan to always put up a tree each Christmas. I'm already looking forward to next year.
11 comments:
Interesting post and I could feel your joy as you re-told of it.
Susan
so how about a very small tree with only those most prized ornaments??
I remember my first tree. I was at college in my first apt. My step mother'd given me money the year before.. in small bills, folded fanshaped and tied with red yarn to a miniature fake tree, the kind that's only 2 feet tall. So the next year I bought miniature ornaments and garland for my tiny tree. I decorated it for all the holidays and it stayed up year round...till about 3 or 4 years ago when the cat knocked it behind the entertainment center...never to be found again. I still have all those ornaments though.
Tiny trees are cool!
I'm sorry you don't have your tree this year, but I enjoyed hearing about your first tree. I think there's always something special about our first anything.
You've made me think about my first tree, but it wasn't a very pretty tree like yours.
Our first tree makes me laugh :) My Father In Law cut the top off of one of the trees in their yard and gave it to us!! It was a blue spruce and the needles were hard and SHARP! We had to wear gloves to decorate the tree. Also, sadly, it was a very sappy tree. When we took the ornaments down we found sap all over them. It took hours to get it all off!
I'm sorry you're lacking the Christmas spirit. This video is so touching to me... I hope you'll take the time to watch it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icilgwdHiZg
It's not too late :) I think I will always put up a tree...I would feel the same as you if I didn't. I think it helps me feel the Christmas spirit and I love Christmas trees!! Are your kids home for break yet? That will help I'm sure!! Great memories of your first tree. I don't think I even remember mine.
I'm going tree-less this year, too, because of an upcoming vacation, so I do know how strange it is to go without a tree. The Advent display on my mantle helps with that empty feeling.
I'm also missing my big tree this year and all those special ornaments. I just have a little pre-lit one up on a small table. Having a puppy in the house is the main reason we didn't put up a big tree this Christmas. I miss it-hopefully next year the little guy won't be as naughty!!!
I remember my first tree. I was living in a tiny basement apartment at the time and I went out and bought a rather large, bushy Scotch pine. It must have taken up half the living room.
I decorated it with twinkling white lights and lots of cheap ornaments mostly in red and gold.
Looking back, it was probably one of my prettiest trees. It certainly was one of the most special.
I know what you mean. We skipped putting up a tree a couple of years ago and I'll never do it again. Christmas just wasn't the same.
Hey, you could run out and buy a tiny tree at Target and then put just a few ornaments up just for fun...
what a great post. I can imagine how you must feel without a tree!
Nancy
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