Reader here! I’m really starting to get into the Christmas spirit, although I admit I’m way behind on getting my apartment decorated for the holidays. I’m hoping to remedy that over the next few days.
But one thing I really need to do is get my Christmas tree up. There’s something about the tree, the decorations, and the bright coloured lights, that just make me feel good. It’s a mental health boost, in a way!
I was out and about yesterday, and at one of the local stores, they had their real trees for sale out front. It inspired me to pose a simple question…
As I mentioned, I get the best of both worlds. Because I live in an apartment, I can’t have a real tree, but when I head home to the farm at Conquest, my parents always have a real tree. So no matter what, I can enjoy my Christmas tree wherever I am!
Growing up, it was always a big thing to go and pick put our tree. Usually we’d go to Saskatoon and stop by Confederation Mall, where there was a fundraising group (I believe it was the Y’s Men) selling trees, set up in their little fenced in compound in the parking lot, with the little warm-up trailer. If it wasn’t from them, we usually got our trees from Superstore or Canadian Tire.
But the process was always the same. We’d look around, and make a few visual selections, looking for trees that looked big and fat and full. When we narrowed them down, Dad, Mom, my brothers and I would all take turns lifting the trees, to see how heavy they were. The heavier the better, because the fuller they’d be. (And nine times out of ten, we’d be right, thank goodness!)
One we got the trees home, we’d store them until we were ready to bring them into the house.
Dad would trim the bottom of the trunk, and the odd low branch that kept it from sitting in the stand, and then get the tree into place. Cut off the twine or netting keeping the tree bundled up for transport, and then let it warm up overnight, to really open up.
Then, the next day, we’d have at it, and decorate.
Lights go on first (after making sure the lights worked, and all burned-out bulbs were replaced). Then, the garland, then all the decorations themselves. To this day, at home we have decorations that are as old (or older) than I am, that still go on the tree. Over the years, more have been added, many made by me and my brothers, or my nieces and nephew. Some have been gifts from family friends, or accumulated through travel. But in the end, they make every tree a thing of beauty, sparking memories and cueing up nostalgia from simpler days gone by, when I was a kid, and didn’t have a care in the world.
There’s been the odd tree-related mishap over the years, usually including the tree losing its balance and toppling over.
One year, in the old farmhouse, the tree was just too big to sit in the stand we had for it, so Dad grabbed an old metal five-gallon Target herbicide pail, and stood the tree in it, with rocks and sand keeping it upright, while a simple twine secured to the edge of the window on either side kept it upright. Worked like a charm!
Another year, after we moved into our house trailer, we were in the middle of opening presents on Christmas morning, when, out of the blue, the tree simply fell over. After the laughter died down, we took a few minutes to stand it back up, put the decorations back on, and went back to our regularly-scheduled gift opening.
Now that my brothers are all grown up, and married with families of their own, it’s always neat to see their Christmas trees, and see what personal touches and family traditions they have with their trees, that make them their own.
Me? I have my tree covered in stuff that is, well, me. I have the usual lights and garland, along with many different decorations, ranging from the Philadelphia Flyers, to Star Wars, Marvel Comics, to food, music, sports, and of course, decorations made by my nieces and nephew.
The great thing about your Christmas tree, is that you can do it your way, and make it how you want it, with your own traditions, and create memories to last a lifetime.
Man… now I really want to get my tree up!
