The Most Wonderful Time of Year

In the Jackson household, we begin decorating for Christmas on October 31st. It’s a tradition we started when our kids were young. We choose not to recognize Halloween as a holiday and choose instead to focus on the life giver. The pros of doing this mean I get to enjoy looking at my once a year decorations much longer. I am not as rushed to get the decorations up, so it creates a much calmer atmosphere for my family. The cons of putting things up so early mean that right about now, I am ready to have my house back in order! The “I forgot I bought that!”, excitement has long since worn off and I’m looking at all this stuff and dreading the clean up. The joy has faded (along with the batteries in those plug free lights) .

The first trees to go up are in the kids’ rooms. These trees hold their handmade treasures and the ornament we give them each year. When they were younger they were always excited to have their own special tree. Now, I think they just do it to humor me.

The nativity tree and the cross tree quickly follow after.  These are the two that are supposed to remind us all season to focus on Christ. They are my favorite trees.

   

The trees do their job of reminding quite nicely… until the craziness of the season sets in. In the midst of church productions, parties, work, shopping, parades and festivities, the trees lose their luster. The lights don’t shine as bright, the ornaments are spotted with dust and their exultation of the Savior is a bit muted.

The next tree to go up is the nutcracker tree. This tree was inspired by a tree my mother did several years ago. I fell in love with it and a nutcracker fascination was born. After Christmas I scour through the clearance aisles searching for unique nutcrackers to add to the tree.  I feel like I’m on a treasure hunt. It’s so fun to find a special one. Finding it at 75% off – bonus!

In our 21 years of marriage and ministry, we have only lived close to family for brief periods. When the children were small I would be so embarrassed when we would attend family functions because they would constantly ask me who people were. People I felt they should have known at first glance; cousins, aunts, uncles, people that mattered, people who were and are important. It finally occurred to me that the distance had created a void in their understanding of how these people were connected to us, why they were important and why they should know who they are. It led me to the creation of a Family tree.  This tree holds the photos and cards from years gone by, small framed photos of loved ones no longer with us, framed pictures of my kids when they were small, and the hand painted ornaments my mother painted when I was a child. They were the ornaments that adorned our tree when there was little else to put on it, and even less to put under it. This tree floods my heart with emotion and my eyes with tears as I remember the love that created each snapshot. It is not the prettiest or the most coordinated of my trees, but it is the tree I am most proud of, and the last to come down.

The final tree to go up is the grand daddy of them all. It is the tree that represents the years spent with Brad and the music that fills our lives. Music that has not always been cheerful but has been consistent. For 21 years I have collected and gathered music themed elements to cover this tree. It has grown from the awkwardly cut first tree, that was anchored to the wall with an eye hook and a bright yellow rope, to the 9 foot tree we have had for 12 years. I look at this tree and I hear the music he played for

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

me in our first performance together; the music we sang to each other at our wedding; the lullabies we sang to our children; the many hours of music lessons as growing fingers learned to master instruments; the uncountable worship services we have led together; the melancholic tones that accompanied those we laid to rest; the music of celebration, the angry tones of disagreement, the romantic tunes he created just for me and the love songs of a 21 year journey together. This tree is my rock. It represents all that keeps me grounded during this crazy time we call Christmas.

When I look at my trees, I don’t just see a decoration, I see 21 years of building a life. Years spent learning to love, to share, to celebrate and to cry. Years that may not look like much to anyone else, but are priceless to me.