The Saturday morning after Thanksgiving Betsy and I set out on a chore that I hadn’t been able to enjoy for four years – we headed out and bought a Christmas tree for the house.
We headed up to the Jefferson County Farmers Market on Finley Blvd. and picked out a really nice Fraser fir.
The part of the holiday season that I’ve missed the most in recent years was having a tree at home and getting a chance to decorate it.
Many trees are asked to give much more than they should (as noticed recently in Birmingham’s loft district). There are those evergreens though that give you a chance to remember what you can be most thankful for in this season meant for waiting that’s been transformed into a season of spending and stress. I’ve always found Christmas trees help you enjoy the moment that you’re in instead of trying to rush to the next one too quickly.
Sometimes it’s as simple as seeing the first ornament that your grandmother bought you. Maybe it’s the one that triggers memories of a movie scene that reminds you that you matter. It could be one that will always serve as a friendly reminder of a place you’ve lived (whether you’re there in the future or not). It may even be one that reminds you of a fun time in a relatively new city…
I haven’t even gotten into talking about what seeing some of the decorations mean in terms of thinking about holiday seasons past…
No matter what, I’d invite folks to take a moment and slow down during this period of hustle and bustle and relax. Enjoy yourself. Don’t let the holiday season rush by; it’s able to do that on its own pretty well without your help. Plus, it’ll be back to “normal” in January before you know it.
I didn’t know if you had any stories you’d like to share about items or events triggering memories during the holiday season…
Cheers.
Photo: The 2010 Christmas Tree. acnatta/Flickr
