The other day I was thinking back to the year that we couldn't afford a Christmas tree. Aaron and I had both grown up in families where we cut out own Christmas trees out of the forests of Utah and Idaho. That particular Christmas we lived in south Texas, no where near a pine forest. We had two little boys and I was pregnant with our third. Aaron worked for a roofing company. I quit my nursing job to be at home to raise our boys.
Our only hope for a Christmas tree that year was to buy one from a Christmas tree lot. We didn't have the $25 required for the purchase. Instead, we piled our presents up in the corner where we would have put a tree and imagined a thing of beauty! I don't remember much more about that Christmas. I know we were not sad. We still had two happy little boys that Christmas morning.
Since then, we have purchased a fake tree, two actually. One is the family tree with all the mismatched ornaments from Christmas' past. The other one is mine.
I miss the smell of pine that comes with a real tree. Pine scented candles just smell like Pinesol. I don't, however, miss the mess. I never remember to water our real trees and after a week they were completely dead and quite the fire hazard. Aaron bought me a beautiful pine wreath this year so I could still have the aroma in our home. I forgot to water it. Now I have a dead wreath hanging in the piano room. At least it is a smaller fire hazard. Maybe next year I'll remember. (I have heard this before. In fact, I say that every year).
Aaron had the boys help put our trees up a week before Thanksgiving. The boys told him they heard that every time a Christmas tree goes up before Thanksgiving an elf kills a baby reindeer. He told them to get back to work.
Even tough my tree was up early, I still didn't get it decorated for almost two weeks. One day Vanessa stayed up from school sick and I therefore I spent the entire day at home. Vanessa helped me and we decorated it. I previously had asked my friend Salli to help me decorate it but since I was running out of time I just decided to do it on my own. It was better than leaving the ornaments packed up in boxes.
A few days later Salli showed up at our door and after an eventful trip to Hobby Lobby, we returned with a "few" more ornaments for the tree. We had to take off the decorations Vanessa and I had done. I wish I had a picture of it. It really was quite pathetic.
Then Salli taught me how to really decorate a Christmas tree. She made it look easy. I will testify that it is not that easy.
The end result is this. Truly, a thing of beauty!!
I love it!! I feel warm and fuzzy inside every time I look at it.
The boys say they don't get it. They say it looks like a pile of ornaments with a star on top. They are upset that you can't see the tree at all. They say it looks like a town square Christmas tree, not something that belongs in our home. When we visited the town Christmas tree, AJ asked me how I felt that my tree has more decorations than the tree that was for the entire city. I told him it didn't bother me at all!!
Financially, our situation is so different from that Christmas so many years ago. I hope that I never forget what it feels like to not afford some of the simple things in life. Over the years I have learned that while money can by beauty and comfort, it cannot buy happiness. We can choose to be happy in any circumstance.
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