Christmas Decor

Little sapin de Noel

For the first time in years, I have a Christmas tree.  Yes, it's small, and yes, it's artificial, but it is presently casting a happy glow in my living room.  

When I lament the cost of decorating, I try to console myself with the thought that it's costing less to buy new ornaments and trimmings than it would have cost to ship my old ones from Brookings.  And the lights wouldn't work, because the electricity is different.  So, I will simply add ornaments a year at a time.

That led me to thinking about Christmas ornaments....they are almost as sentimental as clay ashtrays made in art classes or drawings held to the refrigerator with magnets shaped like seagulls.  The whole ritual of unwrapping them from their carefully padded nests makes us slow down and remember.  Special ornaments bought for first Christmas with a new baby, or in a new home, or purchased at a flea market with a best friend make us smile.  It has the same effect as perusing a photo album.  

I no longer have those ornament to remind me of friendships past, but I have the memories in my heart.  This year, I will make an attempt to, if not rekindle those relationships, at least acknowledge them and at the very least, let those people know that I am thinking of them.  The holidays give us that opportunity and I don't want to waste it.

The blue lights are my favorite