The first decoration I get out for the Christmas season is the Nativity Set that Aunt Frannie painted and gave to me before I was married. The plaster of Paris figures include Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus in a manger, an angel, a man and his camel, a shepherd with his sheep, plus the three magi. Later, I constructed a stable using some of our kids’ Lincoln Logs with straw from my parents’ farm glued to its cardboard roof. Three children and the years have left the scene slightly battered, but it holds too many memories to be replaced.
A pine wreath sold each year by the local Boy Scouts has hung on our front door since our son was a Cub Scout.
In the seventies, doing ceramics was the rage among housewives. The hobby didn’t appeal to me but my friend and neighbor, Alyce, made several, small, lighted trees and gave one to me. In remembrance of her, it sits on a wooden stand in a corner of the living room.
About two weeks before the holiday, Ken puts up the tree and decorates it. When our three were toddlers, we cut our own at a nearby tree farm. Grandma and Grandpa went along for the big event. We decided that was too much work. For several years on the Sunday afternoon before Christmas, we joined two other families choosing our pre-cut trees at the farm. Then, we all ate a chili supper together. When jobs took the others to faraway cities, we continued visiting the farm to choose our tree.
A few years ago, Ken got tired of sweeping up the needles that fell off as he carried the dry tree through the house and out the back door after Christmas. We purchased an artificial tree. It’s a good imitation but I still miss the real thing.
How do you decorate for Christmas?