O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, How Loaded Are Thy Branches

I love this season of the year! Starting with Thanksgiving through New Years Day I am in my element! From baking to decorating, Christmas carols to festive gatherings, coffee in holiday mugs to poinsettias, I become one of Santa's helpers to make certain I am spreading Christmas cheer! Although I do my share to boost the economy, shopping isn't the crux for me. I especially like the worst kind of shopping Susie Orman preaches to avoid, last minute emotional spending. If I recall her theory correctly, all purchases should be made by the end of the first week of December but I consider it my patriotic duty to extend the deadline a bit! I am referring to the purchases made with the thought, just one more for Jeff and the kids, or I think I will buy a gift for all fifteen great nieces/nephews, or the ever so popular that looks just like so and so, I can't pass it up! A commmon trap for me and I'm sure others as well. This year a new approach had to be considered so thanks to my daughters our house is glowing with holiday decor in all the typical places. For years I was a greenery snob and made my own fresh garland from clippings on the ground at the tree lot. But as the season's activities increased with four kids, nine.years of participating in the Nutcracker with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, and eventually adding work to my schedule I was forced to give in and purchase garlands with no fragrance but easier cleanup. But the tree is another thing. We still support Frazier tree growers by finding the tallest, most perfectly shaped tree on the lot! We have tree shopped in all kinds of weather and have been unaffected by the hassle of getting the tree in the house, in the stand, and in the position showing best side. I purposely have a few ornaments that are the right size to hide the holes that never seem to show up in the selection process! The best tree adventure to date began with a family trip to the tree lot followed by breakfast at McDonald's and ending the day by trimming the tree with holiday music blaring. The third part of our Norman Rockwell day didn't go as planned. As Jeff and the kids began the process to get the tree ready for ornaments I received a phone call from Rebekah. She informed me that the tree didn't have a good side and daddy was mad! I immediately shifted to mom mode by saying all the appropriate statements to turn a bad situation around. At that time I worked at a specialty fabric store part time, trading my hours for fabric and lace instead of a paycheck. I thought I had devised the perfect plan so that I could participate in my favorite part of the tree experience, taking the kids to choose a tree and hanging the ornaments in just the right place. Skipping the whole getting it in the stand and in the house routine was my least favored part. It's the moaning and groaning from Jeff toward an innocent evergreen that I like to avoid! When I got home I was certain I could redeem all the critical remarks made toward our tree selection. Wrong! They were right, it was a horrible tree with no good side! I tried my best but to no avail! So on a cold, windy Saturday evening that tree was strapped back on the car and taken back to the tree lot to be exchanged for a more attractive one! Last Sunday evening as I watched the kids decorate the tree I had to chuckle inside as I reflected on the collection of memories encompassing this holiday beginning with my childhood to the present. I treasure their comments about certain ornaments or memories they have from Christmases past. I also had to heed my own suggestion from Puzzle Pieces of Parenting, Part Three, number fifty-five; allow some ornaments to stay where your children have placed them. It continues to be a challenge for me but somehow this time didn't seem to matter. Maybe I am finally growing up!

Wakeup Call

Yesterday at Community Bible Study the last part of the morning was dedicated to the annual Christmas Program presented by the children of all the moms involved in the study. Children starting as young as age two and extending to preteens provided a few minutes of holiday delight ranging from traditional carols to memory verses put to original melodies to the pledge of allegiance. As always there is at least one child that captures some extra attention and this year it was my grandson, Hamilton! Not only did he look adorable in his funky reindeer printed long john, but the way he would stop mid song and say " hi mom, hi mommy, hi mom. Hi nana (his great aunt) hi mom! He ended his presentation running up the aisle to where we were seated but because I was positioned just outside the pew in my wheelchair I received his grand finale with a, " hi Nan" and a big hug! Merry Christmas to me! Instantly I was taken back to the first year I attended CBS with one
child, Abby, skipping on one side of me and baby boy Joseph propped on the other hip. That's why women have hips, you know! One of the fall trends that year were scarves and I had purchased one from the Limited along with large earrings covered in jewel toned stones. Can you tell it was the eighties? And yes there were shoulder pads in everything I wore! I thought I was quite the fashion statement! So on this particular morning I wanted to dress the three of us in a way that would demand a second glance. Abby and Joseph looked like
Christmas cards in their smocked outfits accompanied by finishing touches of a perfectly created hair bow for Abby and polished white high top shoes for Joseph! Yes I dressed my son in smocked garments I had made so all three children coordinated but not matched. You never know when you might take a picture! And don't concern yourself about Joseph, half of our garage looks like Bass Pro Shop with his hunting and fishing gear. Wonder where he plans to put all of it in the one bedroom apartment he and Bethany will live in after their January wedding! With the two of them ready to go, I proceeded to get dressed and was excited to wear my new scarf! When I purchased the scarf the sales clerk showed me several ways to wear it. It seemed so easy when she did it but somehow it wasn't looking quite as sharp as it did in the store. Adding to my frustration was the the time on the clock and I didn't have mascara on yet and mascara is a must in my book! So I loaded us In the car and planned to finish my makeup while driving because Abby needed to arrive early since the Christmas program was scheduled for the first part of morning. I knew it wasn't the safest thing to do but this was kind of an emergency after all. Plus I am a female and capable of doing two things at the same time! All of a sudden I looked away from the mirror and back to road to find my car headed straight into the back of the truck in front of me! I swerved to avoid a crash and came to a stop in the grass beside the interstate. I felt like an idiot! Here I am investing time and energy in the best bible study I had ever been a part of with a children's program that embraced teaching children as opposed to just babysitting and I just missed what could have been a serious accident all because of a scarf and masacara! What a wakeup call! I was intent on achieving an appearance that took precedence over everything else. We arrived just in time for Abby to march in with the other kids. As I watched my sweet four year old sing about the birth of baby Jesus complete with hand motions and smiles, I was impressed by how much she had learned. I had learned a valuable lesson myself.