I am in mourning........at least temporarily. Tonight I removed the last of the Christmas tree's ornaments. The tree is a synthetic type so it has no branches that lose their needles and it is the kind that is pre-lit so the lights are a permanent part of the decorations.
The tree went 'up' late this year as my SO and I struggled to get into the Holly Daze spirit. Actually we were prodded into getting the tree's ornaments on because we had guests over for dinner in December and felt that we did not want to appear 'Scroogish'. In a matter of two hours, the tree was up and ready to go. We decorated a little differently this year, than in past years, because TLV'sLB was new to the family and we didn't know what level of exploration to expect from him. However, once the tree went up it became my center of peace and tranquility almost daily. The white lights danced off the glass ornaments and gave the appearance of glittering jewels - right on my tree! This, coupled with my dad's old Morris chair, gave me many nights and early mornings of a Zen-like state that lowered my pulse and blood pressure.
Now that the tree is ready to go into storage for the next eleven months, I am struck by the emptiness in the corner of the sun room where it once stood. It is as if the room swallowed up the Aurora Borealis and spat back out a black hole. Even Grumpy Kitty seemed disoriented, tonight, after losing the tree-skirt that doubled as her Kitty Bed.
Please do not do what I did - sacrifice Zen for what the calendar says is a perfect time to denude and defrock the Christmas tree. Tree-lovers of the world, unite! Let us, next year, enjoy the tree for as long as we choose. Let the nay-sayers say nay all they want!
Ancora imparo
