O Christmas Tree

I have always loved Christmas trees. After my first Christmas, I cried when my dad took the tree out to the street (at least that's what I've been told; I don't really remember). I love going shopping the first week of December to find just the right one, then taking it home and letting the pine smell waft through the house for the rest of the month. I love pulling out the lights and ornaments and decorating it. And I love that real trees are never perfect; they each have a character all their own.

But what's happening to the decorations these days? Maybe the fake trees are just so perfectly formed that some people feel the need to add character in other ways. At work they put up quite a few trees every year, which is great, even if they do put them in strange places like the parking garage. There has always been a huge tree in the main lobby that has been quite festively decorated in red and gold. This year, when it started going up the day after Halloween, there was something different. It was decorated with blue and purple flowers, window frames, and sparkly butterflies. I think maybe somebody got their holidays mixed up and decided they needed an Easter tree. It could be worse, I suppose. The tree in the Church History Library is decorated with sticks that look like antlers and a full-size handcart underneath. At least I don't have to be reminded of historical tragedies when I walk into the building.

Maybe the Church decorators have been taking lessons from some of the decorators at the Festival of Trees. There are always some gorgeous trees there, but there are also some very weird ones. Take the things some people use to top their trees, for example:

Yes, that first one is topped with marshmallows on sticks. OK, it was a camping-themed tree, so I'll give them props for creativity, but it's still a bit strange. Now, the one on the right I just don't get at all. Let's give the decorators the benefit of the doubt and say they were going for girly, princess-looking cattails or popsicles. Yeah, that must be it.

Then there are the things that go under the tree.

Nothing says Christmas like a creepy-looking mermaid, right? Kind of puts the handcart to shame.

Thank goodness I have presents to put under my tree. And thank goodness I don't have to worry about trying to make my tree look "professional." When I get out my ornaments, almost all of them tell a story—the ones handmade by people who love me, the ones I got from some of my favorite places in the world, and the ones I've known since I was little and have "borrowed" from my mom. My nephew Max made me a new one this year: he traced his hand and colored it in rainbow colors then gave it to me and told me I could take it home, cut it out, and hang it on my tree. See, my tree is full of memories and love, and isn't that what Christmas is supposed to be about?