Decorating for Christmas

OK I admit it, I'm a Christmas tree snob. I grew up with artificial trees and loved them just the same, never knowing the difference of a real tree. However, once Chris came along, we started getting real trees and I fell in love with everything about them - that is, of course, until after Christmas when you have to take them down and throw them out - very messy... anyhoo... it is just so much fun going to the tree lot searching for the right one and taking it home, seeing Chris challenge himself to get it straight and put on the lights. Then when it's all done, we just sit back and gaze upon its beauty and enjoy the smell.

We've done this for over 10 years, even when we were in Hawaii - we got trees that had been cut in August, frozen, and then brought over to the islands. Well, this year is different, there are real trees here, but just like everything else that is different, it comes with a price... like $500!!! Even a "Charlie Brown" tree costs around $300... I had heard this before, but was able to see it for myself last week. I was walking down the street and smelled that familiar smell and saw a parking lot full of trees... I walked up and rubbed a few branches and stuck my face in to breathe in the smell... then I saw the price tags and literally sat there on the street corner with tears in my eyes.

Fast forward to yesterday... we got home from Saipan and I promised the kids that we would put up our tree. A tree which I got for 75% off at Target last year - I had intended on using it as a second tree in my living room, however, it came along to be our tree. It took us a few minutes to get it together and then the kids proceeded to put on the decorations... it's a bit small but watching the kids put the ornaments on was one of those special times where it didn't matter what the tree was made of.

Those of you who know my son, Nicholas, know that he has a heart of gold and the sweetest soul around. He was SO incredibly excited about putting on the ornaments and told stories of each of them as he pulled them out. He talked of previous Christmases and memories with each one of his family members. Throughout this, I kept looking at the tree and giggling about how small it was... finally my sweet little boy looked up at me and said, "Mom, Christmas isn't about the decorations or presents, it's about family and friends, and the birth of Jesus, right?"

Again, I was given a slap of reality from my 7 year old son... So I am happy to say that I have a small, artificial, Christmas tree full of ornaments from vacations with friends and family and handmade treats from my precious little ones - and it's beautiful!