The Christmas Tree

Ahhh, I love turkey. I love Thanksgiving, not only for the holiday and it's meaning and a time to pause and reflect on the things that we are blessed by and have to be thankful for. I just really do love the food too! I don't mind eating turkey for days after and hope that there is enough cranberries and pumpkin pie to last too.

After it is over the trend is to then begin looking toward Christmas. Yes, Christmas, not "The Holidays". I am so worn out on the attack on the meaning of this season. But I will also continue to make it very plain to anyone who wants to know that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, our salvation. It is truly a glorious time.

I am not sure where all the tradiitions started and why, nor do I really care all that much. The meaning of it is what is most important. But all of the things that go into it make it a fun time as well. Take the Christmas tree for example. I really don't know where that tradition started but it is kind of nice to have a centerpiece in the house, a kind of super lighted and decorated candle for Jesus cake so to speak.

I have always been a "real tree" person. I grew up having a real tree every year and it has always been kind of important to me. My wife and I have always gone the weekend of Thanksgiving and gotten the tree. When our boys were home and little (they are now 27 and soon to be 24) they often went with us. I think on two differrent occassions we went to a "tree farm" and actually cut the tree down. Two different places, one a "no frills" place and another that had other things going on as well. That was a lot of fun, and I hope those times are good memories for the boys, when they remember things like that.

We of course looked the trees over, tried to make sure they were straight, just the right height, and so on. We always did a pretty good job and were always happy with the trees that we picked. After the boys grew older and didn't really have any interest in the tree being a "family project" we began going to home improvement stores or the local lots to get the trees. As time wore on and the boys moved away we spent less time looking them over and got the job done quicker. Amazingly enough we always seemed to pick a good one and were never really disappointed in our choices. It was still fun, and there is something about the smell of a real tree during the season that seems kind of special.

The last two years we have finally gotten to a point of using a "fake tree". I have found that these trees have progressed quite a bit since I was young. They aren't all silver now, and in many cases they look pretty real. Once they are decorated and lighted and draped with tinsel....all trees should have tinsel (or icicles if you will)....they really do look pretty good. While they don't have the smell there are actually sprays you can get that give them the smell....no, we don't use that, but I know it's out there. Modern technology is amazing.

I guess my point is that we tend to evolve over time. Things change, the world changes, our lives change. The times that are special to me are the quiet times, when I am sitting in the family room where we put the tree, late at night, with all the lights turned off except for the tree. The colorful lights give off such a wonderful glow. The angel at the top of the tree is lighted and sits on top of the celebration of colors and decorations that have been accumulated over the years. The ones marking certain passages of time, the ones going back to years gone by that are special to different phases of a families history. During this quiet time I feel a sense of the wonder that is our lives, of the time that has passed during the year and of the upcoming new start to a new year. I realize that no matter how difficult things are financially or personally that sitting in the quiet with the lights of the tree, which carries the meaning of the season, that with faith and trust everything will be all right.

Most of all though I think of the greatest gift of all, the gift of the Son. To come to this earth and ultimately die for our sins. No matter how much things change, no matter how many people say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas", no matter what kind of tree it is, real or imitation, the MEANING of what we are doing will never change. This is the season for the celebration of birth of the messiah. I hope that no matter what kind of tree, or what kind of decorations you might have, or put out, or up, that as you do it you will remember WHO it is for.

Enjoy this wonderful time of year.