The Festivus Tree

Thanksgiving is the butter holiday, Christmas is the ornament holiday. I really love the holidays... lots of good food, parties, time with friends, days off from work, and at Christmas, presents and ornaments. What could be better?

Christmas, though, is when my inner magpie comes into her own. If it's shiny, sparkly, or better yet, shiny and sparkly, I love it. I've always been this way -- even as a kid I spotted the rock with mica in it from yards away, and brought it home. I distinctly remember decorating the Christmas tree, unwrapping all the old ornaments and exclaiming gleefully over the ever-growing selection of favorites. Every year my collection of Christmas ornaments grows, some I purchase for myself (shocking I know) and many are gifts, and I have started Dan off on his own collection.

Yesterday, Dan and I went shopping, first to a couple of church fairs, then stopping at Skillins Greenhouses and Now Your Cooking and Reny's in Bath. Dan wanted to stop at Skillins, and as we entered, he shooed me off and headed into the gift department. I wandered over to a decorated Christmas tree near the checkout register, and then I recalled the recent sales flyer, which featured a kayak ornament. Enlisting the help of a clerk, I located the ornament and quickly purchased it, hiding it away from Dan. I then wandered off, oogling the goodies, and eventually saw Dan, heading to the cash register, hiding something from me. I wandered over to him, thinking as I did, that he came from that decorated tree area, hmmm..... I said "What did you get?"

"Its a secret he said," smiling, and then I knew. "Show me," I said, and sure enough, in his hand sat the same ornament I had just purchased. We are still laughing about that today.

The ornament collection has grown to the point that it won't fit on one tree, at least not a tree that will fit in our house. And I'm not one for theme trees --nope, I want to hang every ornament, after all, I only get to see and enjoy them for a few weeks a year. To facilitate my need for ornament hanging space, we've added a Festivus tree on the dining room table, a funky lime green metallic-glitter pre-lit tree. Covered with my precious sparkly, shiny ornaments, I think it will be glorious!