Watching the bright lights twinkle on an artificial Christmas tree brought back childhood holiday memories when the family’s tree was real. There were no lights shinning on the tree that Christmas Holiday. My brothers would head into the woods and drag back a cedar tree about a week before Christmas day. The tree was never perfect, so the odd shape would go toward the corner of the room. My sisters and I worked happily creating decorations to make that tree shine without lights.
A white sheet was folded and gathered around the bottom of the tree to hide the wood stand and fluffed to look like snow, not like the attractive tree skirts today.
Assembling the garland took forever to build long enough to surround the tree. Pieces of notebook paper were cut into about one inch strips and colored red, green and blue. Circles were formed, alternating paper colors and glued together using flour, salt and water paste. Everyone’s paper chain was connected together to form a long string that was eagerly placed around the tree.
The big star cut from cardboard and covered with aluminum foil was gorgeous and placed at the top. After that came the stars, balls and other decorations to highlight the tree. These were made from paper, cardboard and aluminum foil, with a hole punched in the top for string that attaching the ornament. The circled ornaments, stars and whatever shapes chosen were cut from paper and cardboard and colored, or wrapped in foil to place around the front and sides, with a few in back.
The Christmas tree sparkled in red, green and blue. Our mission to make it shine was done and ready to appreciate.
After that the impatient wait for Christmas Eve was on. That was when presents were opened and no matter how much begging to open early, it had to be dark.
Under the tree were no pretty wrapped presents waiting to be open. Never did the family ask for lots of toys because everyone knew there wasn’t much money to buy presents. However, Santa did come and as long as we got one or two little presents, the happiness of the holiday was felt. There were the paper dolls and the little cars that made it meaningful and that were enough. Also those clean socks hung the night before Christmas was filled with an orange, a little candy and peanuts.
There may not been a lot of presents, but the memories of the family pitching in to make decorations and just being together is worth so much more than that in time. So the lights did not sparkle on that tree as the one today, but all worth waiting for.