Monday, December 1, 2008

Are You Decorating This Christmas?


When I was little, my dad always put up the colored lights on our house. After some were stolen, he never did it again. Instead, my parents used to hang the lights inside the house on the mirrors and around the archways. We always had big live Christmas trees.

Later though, as we got older, they quit putting up the lights altogether and they bought an artificial tree--a silver one no less that had two spotlights. A colored plate spun around so the colors projected on the tree would change. After my dad died, I found out that silver tree and those spotlights were an item that the estate liquidator was very interested in getting. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the spotlights anywhere. I guess dad did throw things out sometimes.

After all of us kids grew up, they purchased a smaller artificial 3-4 foot green tree that they decorated with tinsel and ornaments. After Christmas, they kept it decorated and Harry just took it up to the attic and covered it with some plastic bag until next year. Not a bad idea--it certainly made decorating simpler. The other decorating they did at this point was to switch the artificial summer flowers that were in mom's sconces with artificial Pointsettas.

When my mom and dad were in their 70s, even the small tree got replaced with a ceramic table top tree. I always thought it was sad that he didn't decorate for Christmas anymore but as I age, I understand it. It's just so much of a fuss and a lot of extra work. Clearly, dad was just being practical by not decorating.

I myself am not much of a decorator, but I do manage to at least set up my nativity set, sometimes my little village that my parents gave me, and an tree, mostly for my cats' pleasure.

10 comments:

Cactus Jack Splash said...

Your post brought back a great memory.
One year I was living in a trailer house with my kids, I was afraid to put up a real tree so went to get an artificial one. The only one I could get was a silver tree, the kids loved it and they demanded they put it up every year. When they moved out they flipped a coin for who got to take the tree with them.

BeadedTail said...

We just got our tree last night but there are no ornaments on it yet until we know what the cats will do with the tree. So far so good but Angel has discovered the water in the tree stand so this could get interesting!

Karen, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry" said...

Cactus Jack Splash--Thanks for commenting! I'm glad my post brought back some fond memories for you.

BeadedTail--The cats will definitely be at that water! They love trees in the house. It should be fun.

DayPhoto said...

When I got married on December 21st. I had a silver christmas tree as part of the decorations. I use it today (41 years later). What a hoot, SILVER METAL!

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

Frogs in my formula said...

I bought a ceramic tree in honor of my grandfather. He never ever had a tree--couldn't be bothered with the fuss. We have a fake tree, which really bums me out, but there's a pine allergy in the family. I'd decorate a lot more if I had more money. And no little meddling hands around the house...

Anonymous said...

I try to decorate - I really do. Unfortunately my large male cat named Peanut of all things loves to climb our tree. He throws off all the ornaments he doesn't like on the way up!

Karen, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry" said...

Maria,
I visited your blog and saw how big Peanut is. So far my cats haven't climbed our tree, they just push against it. Moe used to do that a lot. It looked like he was trying to knock it over! I'm glad he didn't succeed.

Frogs in my formula,
I bet my parents' small ceramic tree looks like yours. Does it have little lights in it that light up if you plug it in?

Day Photo,
That's something you are still using the silver tree! I haven't seen one in a very long time anywhere!

The Silver Age Sara said...

I don't decorate much any more. Just a few small items and a tiny tree so I can understand why your Dad kept downscaling the decorations.
I'm so sorry someone stole your outside lights because Christmas lights are wonderful to see as you drive by a house. I'm glad you got to have them inside.

Clara said...

I pretty much have to do some decorating. Since my in-laws retired and moved up to the lake, we are the central location where the family gathers for Christmas. I love, love, love having them all here. I've gotten really lazy about decorating, tho. My sister comes over and does my mantle. I have not yet decided if I will put up the 7 foot artificial or the 30" artificial with fiber lighting.

Thanks for stopping by and commenting. If you google 'Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer' you'll find a YouTube video of the song. It's a really BAD novelty song. But like I said, it makes me laugh.

BTW, I love the picture of your cat in the nativity scene. I've never caught my cats in ours, but that doesn't mean they leave it alone. ;-)

Merry Christmas!

Mike Golch said...

we had one of those silver christmas trees as well.I quite putting my tree us as well.the first yeatr that I stopped was in 2003 when mom died. and for the past few years it just became too much work so I stopped all together.

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