If I could add one thing to my house I think it would be a fireplace. I have these fantasies of curling up in a comfy chair with a good book and the warm and crackling sound to keep me company.
But alas, my house is bereft of that luxury.
However, once a year at Christmas, there's a pretty fair substitute when for two or three weeks I can bask in the comfort of my Christmas tree. No, it doesn't put out any physical warmth and the friendly crackling is sadly missing, but it does have a welcoming glow from the lights and the simple but well loved ornaments. It also brings with it the warm and comforting memories of Christmases past.
My mom loved Christmas. Every year we'd make a trip to Whitesboro, where her parents lived, and trek around her cousin's land, looking for just the right Christmas tree. We all helped with the decorating part but my mom would spend spare minutes afterward, tweaking it till it looked just right. For her, the placement of the tinsel was most important. We kids would want to get it on quickly and be done with it but Mom would spend time putting each individual strand on till the tree looked like it belonged to Santa himself.
Providing gifts for six children on a limited, single breadwinner budget surely wasn't easy but as far as I was concerned, our Christmases were rich with fun and laughter and whatever gifts we did have. My siblings and I were like pretty much any other kids at Christmas and were awake and excited before light of day. We'd tiptoe quietly into the living room and....there it was! Magic! The magic of the softly shining lights and the neat and brightly wrapped mysteries underneath the tree. It was as if the tree was saying, "Come on, I can't wait for you to see what's here for you!"
What a great representation of what Christmas is all about when on that first long ago birthday of our Savior, God was saying, "Come, see and take part in what I have in store for you".
Now that I've raised my children and we've put up many trees over the years, I still relish the childlike excitement that Christmas and each lovely tree brings. Our tree has ornaments on it that were also on that very first tree that Bob and I brought home 30 years ago. It also has newer ornaments, those that my children have made and those that I've bought them that represent their personalities. And, of course, each tree has individually placed tinsel that creates the sparkling magic. Magic that I have tried to recreate from memory for my children.
Now that they're basically out of the house and Bob and I are slowing down just a bit it's hard to find that same enthusiasm to get the decorations out and put up. But when it's done and everything's in place and I'm relaxed in front of the tree, my childlike wonder and excitement always comes back.
So for the next couple of weeks I can curl up in a comfy chair and enjoy the welcoming warmth of my glowing Christmas tree. Magic!
