What a Christmas Tree means to me.

When I was very little, I waited while my older brothers and sisters went into the woods to get a Christmas Tree.  They would drag it home on the back of a toboggan, set it into the stand, tie it to the wall to keep it from tipping over, and proceed to decorate it with the heavy lights that had to be clamped to the branches, the ornaments that were fragile and delicate, if one fell and broke the guilt was intense, the fear for bare feet even more intense.  Then me and my little brother would be allowed to add our efforts by feeding the garland and then at last I would be given 1/2 a package of icicles to place on the tree.

That's me sitting on Dads knee (I have been chastised for posting pics without permission in the past)

Later the siblings grew up and moved away, the Mom and the Dad went separate ways, and it was up to me and the one who came after me to trek into he woods to chop down a tree, drag it home, and decorate it.  Fortunately by then the quality of tree stands had improved and we did not have to tie the tree to the wall with an invisible string.  We came to appreciate the efforts of our predecessors.  Finding the perfect tree in a "real" woods is not easy.  We would arrive home wet and cold with a tree that we felt was unworthy.  We would apply lightweight lights (no clamps required), ancient ornaments, shiny tinsel garland and icicles and decide that it was not such a bad tree after all.

Then came the time for me to leave the nest, and escape extreme rural PEI....for....TORONTO.  My first few years were spent living in places that I now refer to as dungeons, there was no room for a tree.  But after a few years I started becoming a grown up, I had an above ground apartment (with a roommate) and a credit card...with my very first credit card, one of my very first purchases was Ornaments for our Christmas tree. 

A new tradition had been established...finding the cheapest tree at the closest tree lot and dragging it back to the apartment whether that apartment involved roommates or was a independent.

Then a new twist got added to my tradition when my nephew started coming to help me decorate the tree with me...he was more interested in watching "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and figuring out what "paddicakes" meant.  It seemed around the time that his younger brother was getting old enough to join our tree decorating tradition that the bottom fell out of his parents relationship and "poof" nephews were whisked off to Quebec, far beyond the reached of tree decorating.

To assuage my loneliness I began inviting friends and family to help decorate the tree.  And to change up the tradition of going to a tree lot was discarded when I purchased an artificial tree.  Sooty especially loved the artificial tree.  This is a picture of Sooty 3 months after her gotcha day exploring the Christmas Tree

Every year she would climb in that artificial tree.  Cleo on the other hand was more interested in helping to decorate.  Whether it was the artificial tree or when we moved to our house and began again putting up a real tree, it was the decorations that mattered most.

She especially loved the Christmas Tree pearls

Over the years memories have been built one on top of another, sharing a batch or two of eggnog. Digging through the CD collection for the dusty Christmas ones.  Bearing the off tune singing of my brother.  All while decorating the Christmas Tree.

Some appreciated the Nogg, some the music collection, others the placement of particular ornaments.

It is imperative that the clear ornaments be placed near a light or they are practically invisible.

A woman cannot help but be flattered when a friends insists that this decoration needs to be added to her tree.

Every year I try to add some new special touch.
But for Bunnies what is under the tree has always been more important than the tree itself.

It is just about two years ago that Lily and Stu began their love story under the Christmas tree

Last Christmas season, for some reason, I did not take many pictures.  I am very thankful that I took this one of Cleo enjoying her last Christmas tree.

My Christmas tree has evolved into a melancholy thing filled with memories of special times spent with special friends and family....its a little bit magical.

Every year I will have a Christmas Tree....I will share with Sooty and Stu....even if Stu wont pose.