O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree...

Earlier this week, I was contacted by a friend of mine who wanted to know if I would be willing to help one of our sorority's alumna decorate her Christmas tree. I immediately agreed because I LOVE to decorate for Christmas! Christmas is by far my favorite holiday of the year because the Christmas season lasts for so long. As soon as Thanksgiving is over, I start listening to Christmas music and we put up all our Christmas decorations as well as our tree. So when I got asked to help decorate another tree I was excited!

The tree was a fake one and was about 9-10 feet tall. There were four girls including myself and the lady the tree belonged to. One of the other girls and I put on at least a dozen strings of white lights after getting the tree all put together. Then, all four of us worked together to put the beautiful ornaments on. When we were finished, we were all very proud! It was a gorgeous tree and I wish I had taken a picture of it so you could see!

So, that was Thursday night while I was at school. Yesterday, Friday, I came home and that night the four of us (Mom, Dad, Kaleb, and I) went to the Hoffman tree farm to find our tree. It was EXTREMELY cold out so we tried to choose quickly. We found, with much help from one of the workers, the perfect tree. It is an 8.5 foot tall white pine that has a perfect shape and is amazingly full. My Dad had to cut it down slightly so that it would fit in our living room, but it still looks great! We found a new place for it in our living room. It used to almost always go in front of our window but this year, we put it in the corner next to our kitchen and we LoVe it! We can see it from the hallway, the living room, and the kitchen! So my Dad and Kaleb set it up last night to let it fluff down. It was fun to watch it slowly let its branches down and see exactly what it was like!

It reminded me of a flower that, when still in a tight bud, is not much to look at. But once the flower slowly opens up, it reveals its amazing inner beauty that could never have been guessed from looking at the bud. Strangely enough, I think people are like that, too. Often times, we are not much to look at or perhaps what others see is not acceptable or immediately likeable. Yet as soon as we start slowly opening up to people, they see us for who we really are, beautifully made in God's image. In the same way, we should not judge others before we get to know them, for perhaps their beauty is yet to be unveiled.

So, anyways, back to decorating! My Dad and Kaleb put 4 strings of lights, which added up to 800 lights. They say it is too many lights but my Mom and I say it is perfect! After all, the lights make the tree!! :) Then we went through the usual tradition of putting all of our own ornaments on our tree. Ever since we were born, my Grandpa and Grandma gave us an ornament every year to put on our tree. This happens every year until we turn 18. It is always fun to pull out all the old ornaments and reminisce of years past. Another tradition is helping my parents put up all of their ornaments since we are done putting all ours up before they are. It was slightly different this year because it was just Kaleb and I putting up our ornaments, when it used to be Kristen, Keenan, Kaleb and I putting up our ornaments. Even though Keenan is not living at home anymore, we still had his ornaments so my Mom and Grandma put his on for him.

Then my Mom and I set about to putting up the rest of the house decorations, which mainly consists of the various nativity sets she has collected over the years. I love looking at each one and seeing the differences between them in style and such, yet they all portray the same scene. It amazes me that a scene that is so widely seen and made so many ways has still stayed the same. It also amazes me that some still do not see the significance of the scene. The shepherds and Mary and Joseph are not simply greeting a new baby into the world. They are greeting God's Son. And yet, they are doing so much more as well; they are worshipping Him. For He was King then and is still King now. How often do we look at and admire nativity scenes yet miss the reality of what is occuring in each one? How often do we see without really seeing and understanding?

Well, I suppose you all want some pictures of our tree? :) Here they are...Enjoy!

Dad and Kaleb putting the lights on

Mom and I putting on ornaments

The finished product!!

(with our traditional tree skirt, of course, made by Grandpa Miskell. We love and miss you Grandpa!)