I'm looking forward for a more positive outlook!
I did one of those fastweb essay contests; I'm really proud of 30 min. of effort. It made me pretty glad to write it all down.
"We had forgotten it was Christmas. We woke up drearily, stared at the pumpkin outside, lived another day, and it wasn't until New Year's Eve we realized that we had skipped our most important holiday. The reason- we didn't put up the Christmas tree. Without the tree, there was no spirit; without the spirit, there was none of the celebration. Ultimately, there was no sense of family.
For my family, putting up the Christmas tree is in the most important family event in the year; it's always an unorthodox process. Sometimes, we get too excited and put up the tree before Thanksgiving; sometimes, the spirit lasts too long and the tree comes down after Valentines. As we lug out the over-sized, decade-old Costco tree, it signals the beginning of the family effort, and for a few amazing hours, the entire family is at harmony.
Decorating the tree brings all the nostalgia of previous years, as each ornament signifies its own brilliant memories, and with each year, new "decorations" are found and added. Trash turns to treasure as it becomes a shiny chapter of the family history spread amongst the green boughs.
The end result is a very homely tree, reflecting the family's values. In addition to the mandatory baubles, my brother's heavier corner is a crowd of plush toy animals; plastic figures and self-made mementos dominate mine; my parent's have old photos and greetings cards.
Setting up the tree celebrates not only Christmas, but also the family's spirit and individuality."
Being super sick has given me a more positive outlook I think- I appreciate my life a little more again. I need to setup my christmas tree soon! :)
Things are okay, Calc is being a challenge, everything is scraping by, but I'm taking it easy.
Eric
"We had forgotten it was Christmas. We woke up drearily, stared at the pumpkin outside, lived another day, and it wasn't until New Year's Eve we realized that we had skipped our most important holiday. The reason- we didn't put up the Christmas tree. Without the tree, there was no spirit; without the spirit, there was none of the celebration. Ultimately, there was no sense of family.
For my family, putting up the Christmas tree is in the most important family event in the year; it's always an unorthodox process. Sometimes, we get too excited and put up the tree before Thanksgiving; sometimes, the spirit lasts too long and the tree comes down after Valentines. As we lug out the over-sized, decade-old Costco tree, it signals the beginning of the family effort, and for a few amazing hours, the entire family is at harmony.
Decorating the tree brings all the nostalgia of previous years, as each ornament signifies its own brilliant memories, and with each year, new "decorations" are found and added. Trash turns to treasure as it becomes a shiny chapter of the family history spread amongst the green boughs.
The end result is a very homely tree, reflecting the family's values. In addition to the mandatory baubles, my brother's heavier corner is a crowd of plush toy animals; plastic figures and self-made mementos dominate mine; my parent's have old photos and greetings cards.
Setting up the tree celebrates not only Christmas, but also the family's spirit and individuality."
Being super sick has given me a more positive outlook I think- I appreciate my life a little more again. I need to setup my christmas tree soon! :)
Things are okay, Calc is being a challenge, everything is scraping by, but I'm taking it easy.
Eric