Saturday, January 2, 2016

The old artificial Scotch pine

Decades ago – maybe even three of them – I bought an artificial Scotch pine for Christmas. The cost was high. I was counting that in the long run there would be money saved. That tree has been recycled now, but I was flooded with memories of it, as I took the decorations off of the beautiful fresh hemlock that was decorated in this house.

The decorations don't make this a designer tree. It carries home-made ornaments like the one made out of popsicle sticks, a little photo in the middle of Duncan, dated Daycare 2002. There are other kinds of decorations that must have come from Verlaine – “Baby’s First Christmas”, a soft blue egg encrusted with pearls.

Who does not have some felt decorations through which one puts a candy cane and then the felt looks like the head of a reindeer?

Maybe I don't have those anymore, but I am sure ones like this used to hang on my tree.

Rebecca also has some decorations that are to be plugged in and then they will either rotate or light up.  The string into which they are to be plugged is long gone.

Trees are easier to get down, than to put up. I could walk around the tree taking the lights off.   I circled it many tines.  I was enjoying the feeling of the soft branches against my arms and the lovely smell that comes with being so close to the tree. I wanted to keep the tree up longer, since we had a late start.  Or maybe I wanted to keep it up so that the holidays could be extended for we have had restful ones.   On the island there are rules about how quickly those trees have to be taken to the land fill. This is the weekend, whether I want Christmas to continue or not.

Arta

2 comments:

  1. I remember one year wanting to take felt reindeers on a candy canes to school. I know I did not have the capacity to do hardly any aspect of that, other than stick the candy cane in the head and I am sure a lot got broken. Arta - how did you ever manage to do that for me (and all my classmates)?

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  2. Thank you for sharing that memory, which I don't have at all. The candy canes must have been bought by the hundred, the felt by the yard and maybe it was only the little reindeer eyes that cost "a lot of money".

    Christmas? Always one of the best times of the year. That is why I had to start on the 30th of November. As well, since it is one of the best times of the year, that is why I would save up enough money to buy lots of Xmas decorations after Xmas. I could quadruple the number of festive ornaments I could have, if I could only wait until after Xmas to buy and then to enjoy them the 30th of November when I got them out for the first time.

    How did I manage to do it for you and for your classmates. Part of me was doing it for me as well?

    Christmas ... like Duncan, I think it is the best time of the year.

    Our tree is in the landfill now, but the memory of that smell of hemlock is still lasting for me.

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