I was sitting here tonight staring at the tree that still sits in the box on the floor. When I get a few hours of spare time I’ll pull it all out and stand looking at the branches wondering what in heavens name goes where. I’m grateful that my husband purchased a smaller version of our typical monstrosity. It’s four feet of promised “fullness” all stuffed into a carton the size of a shoe box, so we’ll see how this goes.
It kind of reminds me of the mattress we purchased a few years back. I believe it was simply called “Mattress in a Box”. If you’ve never witnessed the emergence of a king size mattress from a box the size of a laundry hamper…well….it is truly a mind boggling experience. Just don’t plan on returning it if you don’t like it. It’s NEVER going back in the box it came in.
I’m hoping the tree expands to something as spectacular.
Because God forbid…..
Garland….
I stood tonight in Wal Mart staring at the display of bright decorations and colors…and reflected back to my early years..to our tree…
My mother, bless her heart….she had this thing for the absolute thickest furriest and shiniest garland she could possibly locate and suffocate a tree with. Honest to goodness I swear she had a thing for Liberace and was living it out each Christmas.
I don’t think she outgrew this until after the kids left home. Sometimes I wonder if there was ever a tree under it all in the first place or if she had simply encircled a lamp and popped gifts underneath.
She’ll read this. And she’ll laugh and move a piece out of my side of the china cabinet. It’s not enough that I complain every single year about her trying to force feed me trifle. Now, I’m onto the Tree Called Liberace.
Yet….this is what Christmas is about. Memories that make you roll your eyes or blow egg nog through your nostrils in laughter. It’s all the traditions you don’t adopt yet you will never forget. It’s all the stuff that the generations to come won’t know of…and it’s our job to tell them the stories.
I know for a fact that my kids one day will tell stories of me dancing about like the fairy godmother with tinsel as my wand….my intention to make the tree appear to sparkle at the branch tips…to be colorful as daintily as possible…yet it always inevitably wound up looking a bit like a llama trapped in a hurricane.
I think I’ll try spray paint this year….
Just on the tips…
The grand-kids will love this….
In love…in light….in old memories and in new…
Tania the tinsel fairy.
Tania Thomas Author & Speaker 
Tanya, When I saw the picture attached to this article all I could think of was..How appropriate..A Ghost Tree, by none other than a Medium/Psychic. HA…I like it 🙂
LikeLike
Haaaa. I thought it was perfect.
LikeLike
Lol! You are 2funny! Its funny how those memories come back! Growing up we used to have this portable thing that shone different lights on our silvervtree! Lol!I have had some real trees when the kids were young that we had to put a rope around and anchor it to the wall to keep it from falling over! Lol! When I moved to my b/f about 5 years ago I found his place crammed with stuff! Not an inch anywhere i couldn’t even put any of my full house so that was the 1st year that I’ve never had a tree. Big tree that is! I was upset because i used to love looking at the lights forever! One time it was the middle of January when we took it down! I still managed to buy one of those little ones that go on the table and did the lights, tinsel. Meanwhile I had bins are neatly packed waiting for a tree. So finally my boys have moved into a house where theres room for one!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Love your story too. Thank you so much for sharing with me!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Tracy's space and commented:
Tania is so awesome!! She has a special talent of reconnecting us with our loved ones but also the talent of putting into words what we are thinking and trying to say PLUS keep us in stitches of laughter!! No wonder she is so beloved to myself and so many more!
LikeLike
You are so awesome Tracy. Bless your heart. xxx
LikeLiked by 1 person