Obviously, my years in retail have jaded me just a little bit to the joy I used to find in the season.
But far beyond that, my grandmother--who passed away in March--was one of the biggest fans of Christmas I have ever met. Not Christmas as in Christ's birthday (I would characterize my family as largely atheist), and not Christmas as in super-tacky lawn/outdoor decor like those ridiculous inflatable snow-globes people have in their yards or a plethora of lights that light up the neighborhood even on the darkest of nights.
Nana's decorating consisted mostly of the same decorations she'd had since my mom and uncles were small--never-burned wax candles and figurines--and the collection of ornaments she had collected over the years that were always perfectly arranged on a perfect Noble Fir tree. In fact, the trees she selected year after year were so similar to each other, it prompted my cousin when he was younger to ask if the tree that was currently up and decorated was the same one she had the year before.
One tradition my grandmother started when my older and younger cousin and I were young was to buy an ornament for us every year. She continued to do this for her 5 grandchildren until last Christmas. The oldest one I could find was from 1976 (I was 6 years old.) In my adult life, I have only had a Christmas tree a few times, but have found ways to display my fairly large ornament collection either on wreaths or wires strung across a mantle.
This year, I resisted the spirit of Christmas as long as I could. The other night, though, I was at the store and saw 15' cedar garlands for sale, which I envisioned out on mantle with some decorations nestled in and others hanging from the wire The Husband put up a few years ago.
The result?
Speaking of The Husband (who I might not categorize as someone who gets in the spirit...) surprised me a couple of weeks ago by having me come home to this:
3 comments:
That garland is lovely. If you're not a Christmas person, I can see how that would be just the right touch of decoration. I also really like the ornaments you have from your grandmother. I'm very sorry to hear of her passing, but I bet she's pleased that you're reflecting on her during a special time to her.
Merry Christmas, Lazy Gardener, to the extent that you feel comfortable celebrating it.
as you know, i'm having a bit of trouble feeling particularly Christmas-y this year. Combination of a lot of things, really.
however, i do love your Christmas decorations; ornaments given as gifts from loved ones are the best kind. and the lighting display the husband did is lovely!
Enjoy - and hopefully you don't want to kill the consumer yet!
Thanks, kate and beth. It's really a lousy feeling to just want January to come already...and it will soon enough.
A merry Christmas to you both! Have fun with the fam!
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