Monday, December 8, 2008

Christmas Trees- Old School Style


Am I the only person who remembers this kind of Christmas tree? It saddens me that finding this kind of tree is difficult. I have so many memories of this kind of tree as a child.
For those of you that don't know, this is a silver tinsel tree that is anywhere from 3 to 4 feet tall. The branches are very sparse. I think it's because no one is trying to pretend that this tree is in any way real. My family's tree was covered in lots of handmade ornaments, courtesy of my brother and myself. I remember that Hugh had made some smiley face ornaments that he shaped and painted himself. There were three of them and they were graduated in size. I remember that I had a Raggedy Ann ornament. For the "fancy" ornaments, we had some fake orange candy canes that were encrusted with clear glitter and little gingerbread looking houses. I think that the humidity of the Keys eventually killed those ornaments. It's sad. You might be wondering why this is such a big deal for me. I'm not sure why, but I don't have lots of clear memories from my childhood. I can name all my teachers in elementary school but can't tell you one detail of any project, party, or mishap that happened to me. So when I describe the ornaments we had on my Christmas tree as a child, that means that it made a major impact on me.
I think the best part of this silver tinsel tree was the color wheel that went with it. There was a real powerful light behind the wheel that slowly turned and turned and changed the tree from just silver to red, green, blue, and yellow. This one device helps you go from one tree to five different trees. Is that not cool or what?
Another Christmas memory that I have is falling asleep under the Christmas tree. Not just sleeping at night, but at odd times during the day. And no, I don't have some sleeping disorder. There's something so serene about laying on the floor with the bottom branches over your face. Looking up through your tree will relax you way better than the vice you currently use. You don't feel hung over, smell like smoke, or gain any weight. I've continued to lay under my tree even after the silver tree disappeared. You should try it.
As I've mentioned before, I have a Christmas tree in every room in the house. Yes, this now includes the bathrooms. I think this is good in case I decide to take a nap somewhere...I'll know directly where to go. Find the nearest tree, pull up a blankie, and dream of the perfect Christmas.

2 comments:

Mrs. McMillen said...

I have a tree like this. but mine is green. and it's probably about 2feet tall. I can show you on friday where I got it if you would like for me to...they had lots of colors, including silver :)

Anonymous said...

I still remember the day I came home from school and my Mama had put up one of those aluminum monstrosities in our living room. We had the color wheel, but all our ornaments were the same--crimson orbs positioned at the tips of each branch. And it was in the corner opposite the front door which was ajar so that passing motorists could see it through the storm door. God knows what all else they must have seen, too.