when I was a kid, my family would go out and chop down our own christmas tree, drag it to the car, get it home and set it up. then the fun would begin. everyone seems to have their own idea of how a tree should be decorated but as a kid you don’t know these things. so out came the packages of tinsel and away me and my sister went, catapulting large handfuls of the slender and shiny strings on to the tree. STOP!…shouted my mom. we were then educated on the ways of affixing tinsel to the tree, strand by strand by strand by strand…you get the picture. no clumps. we of course obeyed and were there for the next several hours (oh and I still love you mom even though you are a crazy tinsel person).

last year, my tradition loving sister called me in complete despair. you see, she had adopted two kittens that fall and they were appropriately named “demolition and destruction.” as brothers they had learned from a very young age how to climb and jump to great heights, knock over and scatter anything of any size and provide countless hours of clean up and entertainment for us all. my sister was very concerned that her lovely derby runners would find a way to destroy a christmas tree and was worried maybe she shouldn’t get one. we came up with an alternative…introducing “the christmas cone.” we sewed together two very large pieces of fabric and made a green cone stuffed to the gills, then safety-pinned christmas lights to the thing (she couldn’t do without the lights) and proceeded to set it up. it took a while to get it to stand and it more so leans in to a corner of her living room rather than stands, but she is happy with her tree. she already has it out again this year and has watched her favorite holiday movie, white christmas, by the light of the tree.

i was talking with a friend the other day and she was sharing that her family may not be able to afford a tree this year. it doesn’t seem that anyone isn’t affected these days by our saddened economy. these are the times to come together as a people and rejoice and share with each other what we do have. this may mean making christmas cones out of fabric that’s been in the basement for a while or snipping a branch off of the evergreen out front of your house and making a charlie brown tree out of it. whatever it is, make sure that this holiday season, you take a minute to notice those around you, to extend a hand and to learn to receive and give thanks. kindness doesn’t really cost a thing and our world could certainly use a little more. happy holidays everyone!