O Tannenbaum

It's the first year in many that I've decorated the tree by myself. Not that the two year old didn't try to help. But it wasn't quite the same. Granted, this year I didn't have to say "Please stop hitting your sister with the tree", but I also didn't have expert light unraveling help, skinny limbs guaranteed to reach the branches close to the wall, and someone with an almost fanatical zeal for keeping the ugly ornaments well-ensconced in the least looked-upon branches.

Old traditions were left behind this year. It was the first year I got to hang the Purple Presents ornaments or place all the embarassing third-grade handmade ornaments I so adore in prominent positions. But as these new rituals begin, they give me a chance to reflect back on those times when there was love, tradition and enjoyment.

I am just a twosome this Christmas. It is a new experience. With the New Year will come new changes and the promise of hope reborn. But just for tonight, I shall hold the little purple presents and remember what joy they gave to small hands and a delighted young face.