Never Above Delight

December 3, 2022

Decorating the Christmas tree has always been a catalyst for igniting the Christmas spirit and a true delight in the season for me. However, my Christmas tree adventure this year didn’t unfold the way I would have scripted it. Let me set the scene…..

I was feeling a little smug and accomplished as I pulled out of the parking lot. Rocking out to Christmas music and a gorgeous Noble Fir propped atop my Honda, it was only a short ½ mile home. Never mind I’d forgotten a rope to secure it, my beautiful tree seemed snuggly nestled on top the car, I was living large. Slowly and carefully, I eased out onto Highway 34, I checked my rear view mirror and only after a few hundred yards I saw something green rolling south across oncoming lanes of traffic. What? No! Surely that wasn’t my tree. I quickly pulled over, hopped out, and sure enough, there was nothing on top of my car. Traffic slowed as I sheepishly made my way to rescue my tree. I got a mix of smiles, eye rolls and looks of disgust from passing vehicles, and I kept my head up and focused on the task at hand.

Okay ..,as they say in the movie business… take two. I decided to put the tree in the back hatch of the car. After sizing up the tree and the pine sap on the cut end of the tree trunk, I decided to shove it in the car top-end first. Of course the 6 foot tree was too long to close the tail gate so I wiggled it around until it seemed secure and resumed my trip home — this time with the back gate open. I hadn’t gone 100 yards before physics won, and the weight of the trunk pulled the tree down and out onto the roadway once again, but this time luckily rolling into the curb. Sooo….take three, which meant I had no option, but the tree had to go in the back hatch sappy-trunk first. So seats insulted by pine sap, in it went my tree-trunk first. Still unable to close the tail gate, but this time much more secure I was able to make it home.

Now …..one might guess my tree trouble was over, but that too would be presumptive. You see earlier in the day I’d purchased a flimsy (on sale) tree stand from the hardware store. Assembly had gone without incident, but when I put he noble Noble Fir in the stand it literally crumpled over and down went the tree. Well….. this tree project was getting personal now, and once a challenge is levied with me, watch out! I cut some shelving, screwed the tree stand back together and then screwed it to the shelving and used gorilla tape as added reinforcement, and by golly it was going to take more than a 6 foot tree to topple this stand over now. Well long story short, I got the tree in the stand and up, and was finally able to start the cathartic process of unpacking the ornaments of yesteryear and decorating the tree.

Let me just say the theme of my tree and decorations are eclectic, and absolutely nothing matches. Definitely no Hallmark Christmas card, but I wouldn't trade it for the world and each ornament and decoration has a story and takes me back to a place in time. From the sheep wearing glittery Barbie shoes singing Christmas carols in a tub (yes we made those one year) to the wax sand dollar that Jake gave me in first grade which Sam took a bite out of because it looked like a cookie. There are the wooden skiers that Granny and Grandpa gave me after their trip to Switzerland in 1969. I found so so many treasures: the pine cones I decorated the first Christmas Joe and I were married; the wire angels that Meg made; the Godseye from Peppper’s wool; Sam’s Kindergarten picture glued to glittery mason jar lid. The list goes on and on, and as I unwrapped each ornament I revisited the stories and delighted in the Christmas’ past. My heart filled and refilled with each story revisited and memory unveiled.

My tree is now decorated and awaits my family’s arrival. I sit here in the early morning hours and marvel at the silly simplicity of my delight in this ritual I do every year. I guess the message here is no matter the darkness or challenge, we are never above delight. Sometimes it’s a small bite out of a wax sand dollar, or even a tree rolling across traffic, but it’s there — in this Christmas season when it comes in the craziest smallest ways we least imagine.

Go find some delight today — we are never above it.

P.S. And yes ...... that's a starfish that I found on the beach, dried and painted that sits on top of the tree. I've got a new memory to unpack next year.