Enormous Tree

Every year, the Christmas tree gets bigger.

When our first daughter was born we got our first tree, a small one we decorated with jewelry and other shiny household whatnots since we didn’t own any ornaments. We didn’t even know we needed to put it in water and by Christmas day, it had shed most of its needles.

Every year, the tree grows fatter like a well-fed creature (a visitation from nature hulking in the living room; a friendly, furry beast), and every year, we accumulate another ornament; some we make, some were gifts, most have stories, and all seem precious to the girls and when we unwrap the decorations, they oooh and aaah as if they were watching fireworks.  (See pictures of our tree, below.)  In order to maintain that awe and keep up with growing girls the tree must grow, too, like in the Nutcracker ballet when they show Claire shrinking to the size of a mouse by making the tree appear to grow until it towers, engulfing the stage.  Soon, we’re going to have to cut a hole in the ceiling to accommodate the thing.

If we didn’t have kids, I doubt we’d do Christmas at all.  But kids remind us of the effect of light in darkness, of a bone-deep yearning for warmth and comfort, and how wonderful it is to believe in magic.  For dinner last night, we brought our bowls of stew out into the living room and ate in front of the fire. Before bedtime, my little one brought out her blanket and slid herself under the tree so she could look up from the inside.  She said it smelled cold in there and it’s true, the scent is bracing and strangely wild.

Here’s a poem by e.e.cummings called little tree that I read to my girls every year:

little tree

little silent Christmas tree

you are so little

you are more like a flower

who found you in the green forest

and were you very sorry to come away?

see i will comfort you

because you smell so sweetly

i will kiss your cool bark

and hug you safe and tight

just as your mother would,

only don’t be afraid

look the spangles

that sleep all the year in a dark box

dreaming of being taken out and allowed to shine,

the balls the chains red and gold the fluffy threads,

put up your little arms

and i’ll give them all to you to hold

every finger shall have its ring

and there won’t be a single place dark or unhappy

then when you’re quite dressed

you’ll stand in the window for everyone to see

and how they’ll stare!

oh but you’ll be very proud

and my little sister and i will take hands

and looking up at our beautiful tree

we’ll dance and sing

“Noel Noel”

*

Happy solstice to you!

Which part of the holidays do you like most? 

Little tree-lover carved into a walnut shell.

Eggs and babies just seem right for an xmas tree.

Found on a trip to Bali.

From a friend.

I like to make ornaments out of eggs. This one turned out well.

The little parade of trees on the mantel.

What my tree would probably look like if I didn’t have kids.

Another home-made egg decoration.

Lace star and Mexican tin.

Advent calendar (with candies and tiny ornaments for that tree in the drawers).

And yet another egg. This one with mushrooms.

Tags: christmas, crafts, decoration, family, holidays, life, parenting, postaweek2011, tradition, writing