Friday, November 25, 2011

Eucharisteo: Our Tree



This is one of my favorite days - the day we put up our Christmas tree.  Every year, it is exciting!  Almost as if I am opening up gift after gift... and in a way, I am.  With the unwrapping of each ornament, I receive a gift - a sweet, sweet memory.  A bit of Joy.




Several years back, an idea crossed my mind: I would make an ornament of each child for the year.  There would also be an ornament with the picture that was our Christmas card.  At the time, I was newly divorced, and we had divided our Christmas ornamentation.  


That year, I realized that I had a few "special" ornaments - ones that had been given to me, or I had picked up during a vacation, or special trip.  From that point on, I decided to find an ornament that had some meaning - or connection to something special we had done, or someplace special we had visited.  I wanted our tree to have meaning...significance.




Each year, my daughter becomes more an more interested in helping with the tree.  She likes to reminisce through the years with me.  Look at the pictures of herself as a baby... and a toddler... See the decorations that were made by her hands....and mine.






 Tonight, my she asked me, "Is 'believe' your favorite word?"  I asked her why she had asked.  "Because it's everywhere:  Believe. Believe. Believe."  And she is right.  It is.  And yes - it is.  It has always been - and will always be a good reminder for me...  (Now, if only I could find a "Eucharisteo" - that may trump the "believe")























At the same time I began my quest to fill my tree with intention, people began to offer me ornaments - some were "odds and ends", or given as a result of "downsizing" their trees.  Others were gifts, picked out especially for me, following some shared experience or conversation.






 Some of them are handmade - either by myself, my children or others. Year after year, they hang on my tree.  Year after year, the tree becomes more full of memories - of joy - of reasons to give thanks.







I love it that our tree has more references to Jesus - His birth, the cross, - than are references to Santa.... though they are there as well.


I have been greatly blessed... and the unpacking of the ornaments is another wonderful, wonderful reminder.


Thank You, Thank You God...

1 comment:

faith1st said...

I love it! I feel the same way. Joy