Christmas Tree Day

Saturday was Christmas Tree Day. My kids and our "adopted" Saturday kids, journeyed out west to the family-owned tree farm we always go to ("always," except when it's late in the day and dark and cold, and we don't plan ahead, and I really don't want to put the ritual off one more day, like happened last year- and the children would not allow me to forget that breach in tradition for the entire year! Everytime we passed Lowe's, I promise, one child or another would say, "we're not going there again for a Christmas tree THIS year, right?" "Right," I would promise...)

We tromped down to the field and began the search. My goal- not too big. We have a smallish living room. One year when we went on the search for the tree, it was freezing cold and it was raining sleet and we were desperate and we picked the first tree that seemed reasonably acceptable. You know, the trees look much smaller out in the field than in the smallish living room! We laughed about that tree all season, except when I was worrying that it's branches were much too close to the fireplace.

We debated height and fullness and bare spots and brown needles. Everyone saw a new favorite. One daughter was particularly adamant in her affinity for pine, not fir. She acquiesed in the end. We found a tree that would be just fine. The chainsaw guy came around and snapped our photo and buzzed that tree down. They shook the bejeebers out of it (and needles still manage to fall off in the car, and in the living room...), and netted it up. We stuffed it into the car, drove it home, dragged it to the porch, trimmed the bottom branches, lifted it into the stand, strung the lights (miracle on miracle- they worked the first time, and continue to work!), and turned it to the best angle.

And we decorated. For the first time, the children did nearly all the hanging of the ornaments. I sat back and watched. No squabbles over who was hanging what. No broken ornaments. No branches weighed down with 30 ornaments in a 4 inch row. A beautifully adorned tree with a pretty and shiny star on top. It took 15 years to get to this moment in time.

Now that we're here... I'm just a little bit sentimental and nostalgic. Time moves on. We're moving past the chaos of babies and toddlers and young kids, at least until the grands arrive. But I'm grateful, because now more than ever, we understand grace and peace, and His grace and perfect Peace and love beyond understanding that came when God sent His only Son into the world for us. And these children, too, are growing in knowledge and love and understanding of what the birth of this Christ child meant, and means, even today, even in their own life.

And those are just some of the many reasons I am thankful for this season!