Oh, how Mr. Virgo loved Christmas! We always decorated the tree right after Thanksgiving. We watched “White Christmas” while we trimmed the tree with such an eclectic mix of ornaments. I have those wonderful Shiny Bright ornaments from my childhood. There are dozens of beautiful handmade ornaments from my friend Judy’s carefully planned and executed exchange parties. I have one from the Hotel Jerome and another from The Ritz Carlton…both gifts from Mr. Virgo. And I have the ornaments we bought on our annual trips…usually to Estes Park. We always bought a hand painted glass ornament by Ne’Qwa. They’re all boxed up this year, up in the cellar house on the farm. I won’t have a tree. My camper is small and not warm enough anyway to sit out there and enjoy it. My aunt has her ceramic tree in the front window of the house and that suits her. I do have a lovely pre-lit garland that I’m going to hang up. I’m enjoying everyone else’s trees, though. Everywhere I’ve been visiting has had a lovely tree and I get to hear about this ornament and that tradition. Much has changed in my life…this is just one more thing.

Now my grandchildren get to trim their tree and watch “White Christmas”. My heart got all warm and fuzzy when they told me that. It made me think of all those years when my daughter would bring home a new ornament from school…the hand with her picture, the gingerbread boy out of cookies, the sleigh from a turkey breastbone. We watched the movie and decorated with whatever we had on hand. One year we emptied the kitchen utensil drawer and tied cookie cutters and wooden spoons with plaid ribbons and hung them on the tree. Another year we put every stuffed animal she had on the tree and used baby’s breath as “snow” on the branches. It’s amazing what we did with nothing. I hold lots of wonderful memories close to my heart of those simpler times. And right now? Well, this is an opportunity to relive some of the simpler times of my life. It will keep me focused on the Reason for the Season and less on the glamor and glitz. And there’s something to be said for that.

❤