Oh Christmas Tree
An Homage
Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree, how lovely are thy branches.
My fascination with the Christmas tree began when I was a small child who thought it would be fine to thrust tinsel in handfuls at the family Christmas tree which stood in front of our living room picture window.
Family gathers near the Christmas tree for a portrait photo, 1962
“No, no, no!” my mother said in a stern tone. “You do it like this.” And she plucked out one strand of silver and laid it gently over a branch. “At this rate,” I thought to myself, “We will never have the tree decorated!” But one-by-one my mother, brothers and sisters and I affixed each length of tinsel to our pungent spruce. And before too long, the tree stood, shimmering in its silver gown.
A Family Tradition
It was a long tradition for our family as we children grew up into our teens. We would locate the dog-eared cardboard boxes of ornaments in the garage, along with the tree stand. Next Mom laid out a swaddling cloth of silk upon which the tree would rise. Additionally, any dried pine needles, broken ornaments or errant tinsel would land softly upon the silk to be gathered up and discarded. Dad wound the strings of Christmas bulbs around the tree and then we all held our breaths until the multi-colored bulbs went on and the tree blazed with light.
Oh Christmas Tree!
The tree stood like a sentinel with all the days of its life in our home heralding the moment of Christmas morning, which we anticipated with joy and laughter.
Patty Mooney in front of living Christmas tree laden with presents, 1983
Then, as we children spread our wings and flew from the nest – as the eldest, I was first to go – the tree became more of a dim memory. As we finished school, coupled, and some of us expanded into small families of our own, the Christmas tree sprang up into our fledgling households. I would return to my childhood home to visit from time to time, albeit more and more rarely at Christmas time. And as I would prepare to exit, with my bags packed near the front door, my dad would say, “You’re leaving?! Why, you just got here!”
A Wavering Memory
By now, the original family tree was now no more than a wavering memory. And with the passing of our parents over the last several years, the “wormhole” has closed forever.
A family surrounds the brightly lighted Christmas tree – by Johansen Viggo
As Wikipedia informs the reader, a Christmas tree can be spruce, pine, fir, or even artificial trees of a similar appearance. The original Christmas tree emerged in early modern Germany, tracing back to the 16th and possibly 15th Century, at which time Christians carried trees into their homes and decorated them with foods such as fruits and nuts. By the 18th Century, people were decorating their trees with candles. This was not the safest of practices and later in that century, the invention of Christmas lights coincided with the advent of electricity.
Oh Christmas Tree Ornamentation
The ornamentation of Christmas trees is limited only by the imagination. Garlands of popcorn, tinsel, candy canes, glass bulbs, handmade ornaments, the sky is the limit. And speaking of the sky, each tree is traditionally topped with an angel or a star that represents the Nativity light.
Patty Mooney and Mark Schulze with Mom’s tree
Adults Now
In our early years, Mark and I would put up a small, living tree, as I am not enthused about chopping down a living tree, propping it up for about a month and then discarding it by the curb for the garbageman to collect. Also, Mark’s mom traditionally had a magnificent spruce in her home and we laid our gifts under that one for three decades.
That time has now passed, as she no longer has the energy for a tree, even with several willing elves.
Oh Christmas Tree – Living and Not Dead
Just as the ocean tides move in and out, the symbol of the Christmas tree in one’s life seems to ebb and then flow again. This year, while stepping into a Home Depot, I spotted an array of Christmas trees and like a candle bursting into flame on an early 18th Century tree, the spark of an idea hit me. I went to the Garden section, located a small, living pine tree and purchased it. At home it now sits on our kitchen counter laden with all the ornaments I saved over the decades.
In conclusion, come January, we’ll plant it in the backyard in a special place. And I will pepper its soil with some of my father’s and my brother’s ashes for good measure. Indeed, as I have come to realize, a Christmas tree is about more than its uplifted branches and sturdy spine. It is about the memories with which it is laden, and the feelings of love and hope that it represents. And the star on top that keeps shining deep in the night sky, shedding its silvery light upon all of us.
