My Tree

I put up my Christmas tree last night. Not a lot of fanfare; I did it by myself. The husband and I decided that when we have kids, putting up the tree will be something we do as a family, but right now, let's just get it done. So I did it yesterday. I climbed the attic ladder in socks (not recommended by the way) and prayed with every step that I wouldn't fall to my death. I brought down all of the ornaments and lights and little Santa figurines you put in the guest bathroom and on the mantle. (If I may go back to the lights for a moment, there were a lot of them to bring down... and then I realized we had purchased a fake tree this year... one with lights already on it. Excellent news. I just wish I had remembered that before the treacherous ladder descent.) So I started decorating the tree with these cool ornaments I bought at Target last year (half price after Christmas - score!), and I love them. They're just brightly colored roundish ornaments in different sizes and colors. So cute and simple. I put them all on the tree and then started to pull out the hodgepodge collection of ornaments to add - homemade snowmen, pictures of my nieces framed in colored felt, my grandmother's old but so precious glass globes, the little dancing nutcracker that I loved as a kid and that my mom so graciously gave me when I moved out... so many memories.

But I didn't put any of them on the tree. I know! It's terrible! Isn't that part of the fun of setting up for Christmas? The nostalgia and the memories and visual reminder of what once was? But I didn't put them up. Not one. My tree is the simplest tree - lights, a string of silver beads, and colored balls. Not one wood and glass memory. There's nothing on the tree that's sentimental... unless I count the reminder of the fabulous deal I got on the ornaments. But that doesn't seem to be in the Christmas spirit all that much.

But you know? It's okay that my tree is simple. It's okay that the other ornaments are back up in the attic. (It'd better be okay; I don't want to have to bring them back down and flirt with death again.) It's okay that I put the tree up without my husband. All of that is okay. My tree is simple which reminds me that Christmas is simple. It's about Jesus. I get to remember that my precious Jesus came to earth to save me because He loves me. So simple but so amazing.

I'm keeping Christmas simple this year. And I'm starting with my tree.