By Ann St. Martin Stout
Leaves Are Free
Oh, the excitement when the Christmas tree goes UP. The question on everyone’s tongue is, “Do you have your tree up yet?”
We have a standard tradition established. My husband’s birthday is about two weeks before Christmas, so that’s when our family aims for. Whoever is around joins in to go to buy the tree.
We’ve tried all the options: cutting it ourselves in the woods, cutting it on a tree farm, buying it commercially and non-commercially, buying it from the Boy Scouts, etc. At one time we put up an artificial tree to help ease our young daughter’s asthma.
To me, there is nothing like a real evergreen for Christmas. This year, ours came from Beaver Pond Farm.
One year, during the fall months, we took a hard look at our budget. We needed to address the credit card debt that had snuck up on us, mainly from travel over the years. When we formulated the new budget in November, ready to make a heroic effort, we had not accounted for a Christmas tree the very next month.
When it came time, I refused to budge and spend money we had not budgeted. I went out in the wooded area of our yard and cut some long evergreen branches — possibly white pine, or possibly a mix of varieties, I don’t recall. I laced them together to create a “trunk” and arranged the branches to resemble the closest thing I could to a tree. It gave off the same vibe, at least.
The homemade tree was smaller, so it sat on a coffee table in front of the window. One string of lights, the star, and just a few of the kid’s ornaments were all that fit. I still take teasing from our children from time to time, but the bigger goal of launching our eventually successful budget was more important.
Isn’t it funny how taking down the tree is much less inviting and exciting. As a stay -at-home mom, I was always looking forward to having the full amount of sunlight coming in the east facing window, so I was ready to brighten up my house again. But suddenly, everyone is busy once the new year starts.
Recognizing the meaning of the tree with its lights, we leave it up at least until Epiphany, Jan 6. Epiphany is the showing forth of the Light of the World, when the Magi visited Jesus, his revelation to the world as Light.
When the taking down of the tree begins, and in recent years, the kids have either moved away or are off to college, the ornament storing gets more confusing. Each has a small tote for storage. However, as the ornaments come off the tree, we try to remember, discern, or otherwise figure out who it belongs to.
Inevitably, I will set those we can’t knowingly put away out on the table, snap a picture, and send to the family chat. Replies include: the rocking horse is mine; the golden apple is mine; etc. Eventually, all is put away and it’s time to move the tree.
We toss the tree out the front door, on to the snow-covered lawn, as it generously sprinkles needles on the carpet, between the floorboards, and anywhere else it passes.
We’ll let the discarded tree pretend to be growing in our front yard for a few weeks, still in the tree stand. Inevitably someone looking out the window will spot an ornament, tucked in the branches that was never removed.
By mid-February the tree has joined the brush pile ready to be burned in a festive fire, later in the new year.
Then 10 months later, we start the whole process again.
Ann can be reached at [email protected]
