Goodbye Christmas Tree

I'm sad to be taking down our Christmas tree. This year, we bought a nice 6-foot artificial pre-lit tree with very realistic-looking molded plastic pine needles and branches from Target. It was a bit of a splurge, but figuring that real trees cost about $30-50 (besides all the trouble of daily needle cleanup, watering and disposal), it will be worth the price in a few years. I love this tree because it is something Chad and I worked on together - he chose the star and convinced me to get the superior 6-foot tree instead of the mini 4-foot thing I originally thought would be more sensible for our eventual moving day (whenever that might be).

Every day that the timer turns it on at 5:30, it makes me smile, seeing its warm, gentle glow. It spreads holiday cheer from its central location near the fireplace hung with stockings, with its mantle covered with Christmas cards. The tree brings back happy childhood memories of going to sleep at night, near Christmas-time, with the only light permitted to be left on being the Christmas tree (which my Dad also kept on a timer). During other times of the year, all lights are sensibly shut off at bedtime.

As I pack away the ornaments, I am careful of their delicacy and fragility. Some ornaments go back into their plastic moulded individual boxes - mostly the fancy ones with moving parts from Hallmark. The bulbs rejoin their mates in the boxes for each matching set. Some soft ornaments are bundled together, their softness also being their strength. The cut-wood snowflakes from Target chosen for their sturdiness make good protectors for some of the more fragile creations. I put the matching snowmen together so they can keep each other company until next year.

The naked tree in January looks more than a little sad, unlike last year, when it looked so full of potential in the same state. Goodbye until next Christmas...