As a child, my family had a tradition that we would go out with our dear friends every December to hunt down a Christmas Tree. Although it was not the opening to National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation completely, all ten of us would bundle up and go to a tree farm and saw our own down.

Now, as a single adult I still go out with my parents…to the local tree lot. Some former students and their father put up a tree shop every year where I can select my own fresh live, little tree to put up.

Of course, you can always head to a Menard’s or Home Depot…but it takes the romance out of the experience of finding the tree. And, if you really must, I suppose hunting down the prelit version from the attic or, in the case of my coworker the closet, and pull them out for use. As for me, I will stick with the fresh tree from my wonderful local tree lot.

Obviously, the next step is to decorate the tree! As kids we would make an evening of it with cocoa and music and fun. It’s not quite as iconic for me now, as I get it up by myself. But the upside is, I can put the ornaments I want out in front where I want to. I buy ornaments on every vacation and trip I take. It is always fun to remember the trip as I put them on the tree and think about the next trip and what iconic memorabilia, I will find to adorn next year’s tree.

I often simply buy myself an ornament to commemorate the year as well. I have one that is the twelve days of Corona  to remember that fateful year of 2020 and another from the year I published my first book. I know some people artfully decorate with bespoke ornaments but to me it feels so…cold. Where is the love and spirit in the holiday? I prefer to use it as a look at Christmas’ past and bring hope to Christmas’ of the future.