Christmas trees

Christmas begins early. The week before Thanksgiving, boxes are carried down from the attic. Boxes and more boxes filled with generations of memories. My sister once told me “You never can decorate a Christmas tree right. Why is your garland going up and down when it obviously needs to be wrapped in circles around the tree?”

Where are the rules to decorating a Christmas tree? No two homes decorated for the holidays look alike.

My neighbor in Colonial Springs has a beautifully decorated Christmas tree, but she has not one set of Christmas lights on the tree. Red ribbons, red ornament balls, and red bows fill each branch of the tree.

There is a Christmas tree on the south side that has the old fashion bubble lights. More than one tree in the yard has miniature blinking lights. There is a tree in Villa Heights with only blue lights. In Oak Meadow there is a house with the larger lights that do not blink at all.

My cousin in New Mexico has a train that runs underneath his Christmas Tree. He placed plywood beneath the Christmas tree skirt. When the Christmas lights are on the train runs continually around and around underneath the tree. He must position each wrapped gift just so or it might derail the train.

In my home you will find a traditional tree trimmed with pretty heirloom ornaments. Children’s ornaments made at school or church decorate the tree. Saving these treasures to display each year shows visitors how special and wonderful their artwork is to the entire family.

I decorate for the holidays in a haphazard way. I have no master plan when it comes to the Christmas tree. I set a day for a family gathering and make it an event. I serve an informal supper and have a tree-trimming party. It is a wonderful way to get some holiday decorating accomplished and have fun at the same time. I keep a pot of soup on the stove and give each one of my nephew’s two boxes of ornaments. We don’t get to eat until the tree is finished.

My husband brings the Christmas boxes down from the attic and my nephews come over to help me decorate the tree. Regardless of my sister’s opinion, once again my garland will be placed in an up and down direction.

One of my nephews did let it slip that his mom can’t understand why I decorate a pine tree when everyone knows it should be a spruce tree.

Just where is this book on Christmas tree rules anyway?

Nancee Harrison is a past columnist for the Greene County Daily World. Visit www.blondeladywithdarkroots.com or email her at blondelasywithdarkroots@gmail.com or send comments to Nancee, Daily World, box 129 Linton IN 47441.