Don't forget the topper

I know a lot of people are putting their trees and decorations away, but mine are still out and I’m honestly not sure when I’ll take them down.

I was looking at my tree the other night and I got to thinking.

It’s just a little one from Walmart, kind of messy thanks to the fake snow clumps and plastic ice and the branches are too wide to hang anything without a hook, but it’s my first tree in my first place.

I got lost in the warmth of the lights and the history in each ornament, and I thought about all the memories that hang on a tree.

A plaque for a first house, trinkets from trips that have traveled across oceans to be admired once a year, the miniature wind chime from a former coworker, a big elf with a photo inside of an old friend, ballerina figurines commemorating a first Christmas, others to honor hobbies and the history of all the Christmases before.

The tree skirt I finished just a few weeks ago, made of maroon yarn and not quite done because I still have buttons to sew on. But that’s OK.

The topper is nothing special, just a little star I picked up somewhere. It leans because the branches are all wonky and I was more worried about getting the fake snow everywhere again.

But it doesn’t matter. The heart of the tree, of any Christmas tree, is the memories we choose to decorate it with.

They’ll all get tucked away soon enough, waiting until next December when they can make their grand appearance once again.

If you still have your tree up, take a moment to take it in. The glow, the light bouncing off the glitter and baubles. The Christmases that have passed and those that have yet to happen.