Christmas trees....

I have a vague memory of real Christmas trees. I must have been very small because I can picture my Dad lifting me up to put ornaments on the branches. There was a definite odor to them – and I’m pretty sure I was allergic to it. I can remember holding my breath whenever I sat near the tree watching the American Flyer train whizzing around the track underneath.

I remember colored glass bulb lights about an inch long. They threw off considerable heat and would cause burns if you got too close to them. Tinsel was popular then too – and I used to like to take a single piece and wind it around. The ornaments were all glass in those days. They still have them for sale these days – but they’re pricey and seldom come in boxed sets.

I had a favorite ornament – it was turnip shaped glass – lime green, and silver with yellow flowers painted on it. It was always the last ornament hung.

In the mid 60’s the stores came out with aluminum trees –my mom jumped on the bandwagon and bought a silver one. She added one of those revolving multi-colored floodlights. That tree revolved too – but the train was gone. It didn’t really fit with the modern look of the tree and I missed the puffs of smoke. Satin ornaments were the thing – mom had several sets and depending on her mood—each year there would be a different color.

Then the realistic trees became the rage – and my mother bought a green artificial tree. I was in my first year of college and feeling ambitious that year. I baked cookie ornaments with strings --- and the entire tree was covered in edible goodies. It was beautiful --- but didn’t last long. It hadn’t occurred to me that people would eat an ornament or two whenever they passed by – so by Christmas day – I had to resort to redecorating the tree with regular ornaments.

My first Christmas tree as a married woman was a small apartment sized model – a green artificial tree. The ornaments were all handmade cross stitch Christmas designs. It took me almost an entire year to make enough to cover the tree. My husband gave me an HO scale model train as one of my gifts that year – so I had a train puffing smoke once again.

That tree lasted far longer than I would have expected. I lost my Christmas spirit once my son was diagnosed with autism. I forced myself to decorate the tree the year he was diagnosed. After the season ended – I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it again. I carefully (and rather dangerously) carried the entire tree fully decorated into a corner of the basement where I covered it with plastic sheeting. For years, I just went downstairs and carried the stupid thing back up so the kids would have a decorated tree – and I wouldn’t have to do anything else. I was probably lucky I didn’t kill myself on the stairs dragging that thing up and down every year. I’d have to adjust the garland a little – and maybe straighten out an ornament or two. But it was instant Christmas. The rest of the decorations remained boxed….

I don’t remember when the depression left, but it finally did and I bought a huge artificial tree that the kids and I put up every year. The ornaments are all blown glass. No two are alike and I told my daughter that someday I want her children to have a “favorite ornament” among the pile. I’ve become quite fond of ornaments --- so much so that Alison has forbidden me to buy any more. She says I have more ornaments than tree. I think I am making up for the years I went “instant Christmas”.

In any event – the following Breitbart article made me think of all the Christmas trees I’ve had.

I would never get a real tree because of my allergies, because of the possibility of fire, because I am far too lazy to go shopping for one every year, and I remember vaguely stepping on those pine needles and it really hurts! Besides I can’t see killing a living thing for no useful purpose.

But I guess I never thought about tree growers and the fact that someone’s livelihood depends on people buying Christmas trees. I wonder what they do for cash the rest of the year.

I know my brother always gets a real tree. But he’s older than me and probably had a few more years of the real thing before the aluminum one came – so to him, it brings back childhood memories.

Okay – now tell me about your childhood trees….and your current trees.

www.breitbart.com/california/2017/11/27/chinese-fake-trees-driving-u-s-christmas-tree-growers-out-of-business/



--Debutante