After the turkey leftovers disappear and the black Friday rush is over, the time for holiday decorating arrives. Ornaments, garlands, and lights seem to appear overnight. Tree topped cars drive down busy streets. And neighbors compete for the biggest light show. It suddenly begins to look a lot like Christmas.
One of the most celebrated holiday decorations is the Christmas tree, and my personal favorite. In previous years, our family would select our tree from a nearby hill top farm. The combination of seclusion, gray misty air, and dark green pine needles, made this one of the most magical places in my hometown. Often times, we would find ourselves circling for hours. There are many factors to consider when selecting a tree; needle type, fullness, and height to name a few.
Once our tree was finally tagged, my dad would arrive with his handsaw. After several slices the tree would start to lean and creak, until reaching it's final breaking point. On the way home our two or sometimes three trees would bounce along in the back of our red pick up truck. After arriving home the trees were trimmed and placed in buckets of water. Tree stands and lights were prepared, and the installation process began.
Boxes of new and old decorations were brought down from the attic. Each one carefully wrapped in tissue paper from the year before. I had many favorites, including a fox couple, various vintage Christmas balls, and of course the gold reindeer, that topped our Keeping Room tree. I would spend hours unpacking and decorating with my mum, many years ago the tree managed to fall on me, but this didn't stop our tradition.
Last weekend I selected my apartment Christmas tree. Because I live in a small studio, I wanted a petite tree that I could place on a garden stool. Here is this year's Christmas tree:
First image via tumblr
Second image by AGA
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