Tuesday, December 9, 2008

BEDTIME STORY

This is a different Christmas Story - but one I promised my daughter Meghan that I would tell....it's a family classic.



I am not proud of what I am about to tell you - but neither am I going to apologize ......if nothing else, I am honest.



We had a wonderful family room with an 8 ft mantel over the fireplace....a large artificial tree and a 6 ft bay window in our eating are. These areas were festooned with garlands and lights and ALL the ornaments the children (3) made through the years.... AND all the ornaments given to them through the years. There were Disney Characters and storybook characters and Cool Whip lids with photos glued to them. There were frames of yarn and buttons, decoupage and needlepoint, lots and lots of popsicle sticks and balls of spray-painted macaroni. We had the bread dough characters made just for us, gingerbread men and flat, felt snowmen......candy canes, choo-choo trains and on and on...................... It was a history of our family and I loved them all. I loved them all in the family room.



then in the living room there was MY tree. I LOVE my tree...it is void of color - it is nearly naked and you can see the trunk and the branches...I liked to call it the "architecture" of the tree. I have used the same gold and silver striped ribbon for 20 years....the same gold and silver beads and the same pearls for 20 years!!! I have only a few ornaments , mostly clear glass. It is like recess from Christmas . It is not a status tree or a decorator tree - it is a simple, clean, sparse, lovely but unpretentious tree.

When I opened my shop in '98 - I needed the artificial tree for the display so all the kids ornaments were hung on the garlands in the bay window and over the fireplace. In '99 when it was time to decorate Meghan said "lets hang all the stuff on the big tree".

"But then we won't have things in the family room"

"Yeah - we have plenty - I want my ornaments on the big tree this year"

"But these ornaments always look so great over the fireplace"

The debate went on and Meghan (by then an adorable teenager) SCREAMED at me that I never really wanted their help and hated their stuff and stormed upstairs and reaching the landing she turned and yelled "YOU'RE A CHRISTMAS TREE NAZI" and hurled an ornament over the balcony at me.

I ducked. I was stunned, furious and mortified ....because she was right.
I begged her to come back down - she wouldn't - so after all the ribbons and pearls I hung every one of the childrens ornaments. And when I lit the tree - it was beautiful.

It was a day or two before we spoke - when I was given the chance I apologized and told her she was right and the tree was beautiful. She said "Really ?? Because I was thinking YOU were right - it looks like crap".

And that is the story of Yours Truly, the Christmas Tree Nazi.

Happy Holidays.


5 comments:

  1. LOL That's a great story! Thanks for sharing, and have a very Merry Christmas.

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  2. I'm laughing out loud! Great story. Happy New Year.

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  3. Sounds like my family. But I was never called a Christmas tree Nazi..LOL.Trying to gear myself up for taking down the tree today
    Love your blog- and your beautiful church home!

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This is a huge project - your interest in St. Marys keeps me energized and I love hearing from you