If you ask me to visualize Christmas, my mind immediately jumps to one festive centerpiece: the family Christmas tree. We always had a real tree for the family Christmas tree. And each family member had their own bag of ornaments that were specific to them: small frames around pictures from important events in our lives (there are a few of me in my ballet slippers), one from our first Christmas that had our birthday painted on it, and funky ornaments reflecting our personal interests. Nothing matched, but everything seemed to work together.
I remember once my dad was out of school and we were able to afford some of the things we hadn't before, there was some discussion of whether to do away with the family tree and get a nice fancy tree that would have the kind of sparkle and glow you see in Pottery Barn catalogs. We all protested the idea. Our tree was our tree, and though it wasn't fancy or trendy, being able to put up our ornaments every year was an important ritual for asserting each of our places within the family. If memory serves, we decided to keep our family tree in the living room, and my mom got to decorate a fancy tree for the big front window of the house. I remember vaguely wondering why my mom would be so set on having a tree that was void of all meaning and tradition. Only now, as I think about how to create the magic of Christmas for my son, do I really understand what that fancy tree must have meant to her. She didn't come from a family of means, and going through med school and residency with my dad and five kids certainly meant she had to defer her own dreams of the way she saw herself decorating her home, feeding and clothing herself and her children, having fun, developing her own talents and interests, and any number of other things.
I don't think she really saw her fancy tree as a symbol of the fact that she'd "made it" in terms of material things. And I don't think she's the type of person who feels like the world owes her something for her hardships. I think all she wanted to do was create something beautiful for her home, her family, and herself. She always has worked so hard to make our holiday season just as special as it could be. She made cookies, helped us get gifts for one another, filled the house with her singing and piano music, and I still do not feel completely into this season without sitting across her in the kitchen, munching on snacks and talking. She is my best girlfriend, my best role model, my best reminder of who I am.
The point is, to me, this season is all about family, the thing that is closest to my heart. It is why the Savior was born and why He suffered what He did. Eternity would mean almost nothing to me without the hope of having my family and friends there with me. So maybe I ought to be reflecting a little more on the Savior himself. But part of me thinks that if I were to sit down and contemplate all His mysteries, He'd probably tell me to get up and get right back to what I was doing before: taking in and putting out as much goodness as I can, and not letting the opportunity pass me by to tell the people who mean the most just how much I love them and want to be around them.
So now it's your turn to write on your blog about how you feel the Christmas spirit, or what some of your holiday traditions are. Anyone can write this of course, but I'm tagging the following individuals:
Mom :)
Katy
Debbie Tingey
Kate Nally
Whitney Sheahan
Can't wait to hear what you've got to say!
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