Silver and Gold

Ate a quick breakfast of Multi-Grain Chex and half a grapefruit when I got up this morning, then spent the rest of the time until work doing one of my favorite parts of Christmas decorating - the tree. I put my tree in front of the window that overlooks the park. It's the perfect place for it...except for the heater there, but I pull the tree out enough that it doesn't touch it. I pulled it out even more than usual. Miss Ellie is calling in men to repair the caulking in the bathroom and seal the windows so they don't let in drafts. The window overlooking the park is particularly bad. Unlike the window on the side that faces the path to my apartment, it doesn't have my neighbors' house blocking the wind.

I love decorating the tree. Although I've invited my stepsister Jessa to help me out the last two years, with her in college, I found myself doing it alone again. That's ok. I ran the classic Firestone Christmas records, just like my mom did when I was really little. I used all three of the gold tinsel garlands I own - I love garlands. They glitter so nicely! Also found myself replacing two light bulbs. Thank goodness they don't all go out if one goes out anymore. (I was going to replace a third, but the only bulb I had left made the whole string blink! Good thing that bulb's on the bottom anyway, where no one will see.)

The best thing about Christmas trees is all the stories behind the ornaments. One day in November, when I was in high school, I saw Mom in our back yard in North Cape May collecting small sticks. When I asked her why, she told me it was for a Christmas project. Mom's always doing craft projects, especially at Christmas, so I shrugged and didn't think anything of it...until Christmas Day. I opened a box with an adorable ornament of two fuzzy teddy bears clinging to a glitter-covered pinecone surrounded by real sticks. I still have it, though one of the bears has since come unglued.

I was in second grade in December 1986. My teacher, Ms. Taylor, called us up to the reading table to choose the green crayons we would use to color in our Christmas tree ornaments! I've always been slow to do anything, and by the time I got there, all that was left were green-blues and turquoises. To this day, I still have a turquoise and red Christmas tree under plexiglass with the words "Emma 1986."

There's all kinds of characters, too - Shaggy and Scooby Doo, the Misfit Toys of the Rankin-Bass Rudolph, Yogi Bear with a picnic basket full of candy canes, the Disney Cinderella with Jaq the Mouse giving her a gift, Winnie the Pooh dipping into his Christmas honey, and a WebKinz Zangoz and Google from last year. Not surprisingly, there are many teddy-bear themed ornaments (even two bears celebrating New Year's!) and lots of gingerbread men. Tons of snow-themed ornaments, too, including a fat fuzzy "snow bear" Rose gave me one year. I always wish it'll snow for Christmas, even though I know that's about as likely to happen here in New Jersey as Vermont getting 70 degree temperatures on Christmas Day is.

I had just enough time after finishing the tree to eat a quick lunch of chicken finger and Brussels sprouts leftovers, throw together dinner, change into my work shirt, and run to work. It was windy, but sunny, and while it was cold, it wasn't too bad for early December.

Work was a pain. It's the beginning of the month, and we had all the usual annoying people who just got their money. People were cranky and just plain obnoxious. So was I - I got up earlier than I should to get the tree done, and I haven't been sleeping all that well anyway. I didn't get to candy until 20 minutes before I left!