We didn't have a tree.
To be honest we haven't decorated a tree in 10 years. I can remember exactly how long because Mom died mid-November, 2001 and that Christmas kind of came....and went. I've always loved having a Christmas tree - a REAL tree - as the centerpiece of the house during the season. I have lots of vintage ornaments from the 40's and 50's that are either from Joe's childhood or those I've collected and found. LOVE them. So why the 10 year drought on Christmas trees?
I have thought about it at great length and cannot come up with a reasonable answer. We are both tied up at the store most nights through December so it seems silly to come home exhausted at 9PM, plug in the tree, be awake for another half hour and then unplug the tree, crawl upstairs and fall into bed. This year I wasn't working 2 jobs and was actually home to enjoy the tree in broad daylight....but I still didn't do it.
I'm a little honked about that because thee best time of the year is the week between Christmas and New Year's. There is a stillness that settles over everything. Joe is home by 5:15PM (heavens!) and we can have meals that are 1) hot and 2) at a normal hour. We settle in with whatever we are reading, watch a movie - just like the normal people do. It's the best. It's also the time we used to just soak up the tree and the lights and gently mellow in to the whole holiday atmosphere.
That's it. I think the reason I'm feeling such post-holiday "meh" is because I didn't have that week of peace and simplicity and have not had it in 10 years. I'm ready to have it back. Earlier today I even thought about buying a tree and setting it up and dragging the ornament box upstairs from the basement. Hell, I'd do it if there was a tree left to be bought. (I even eyeballed the ones out in back to see if one of those could be surreptitiously cut down and dragged in to the house. What the hell, the election is over and the police won't go out there to stop the mobs of underage teenage drinkers with bonfires, are they gonna mess with a menopausal woman on a quest?) Hmmm. It's a thought.
PS - Don't tell me about fake trees, how "good" they look and how you can't tell the difference. They don't and I can. I want the real thing, the fragrance, the dropping needles, the whole ball of wax. This year, this December - I'm going to have it.
