What is it about having a tree with a bunch of lights and colorful ornaments hanging from it, sitting in the corner of one's living room, that is so satisfying and joy inspiring? I'm greatful to whichever herr or frau came up with the idea of this "christmas tree." I didn't have one last year and so I was set to have one this year, but also determined not to get one so early that it would be a brittle fire hazard by the time that christmas arrived, which is what happened the year before last when my roommate and her boyfriend decided to go get a tree in the first week of December. What a wretched mess that was to clean up when all was said and done. I was just glad we had wood floors so that I was able to sweep up the piles of pine needles from the floor without having them sticking in carpet.
So this year I waited until I started to have anxiety about not having one in time and then, on a sudden impulse, ordered Robert to stop the car last night at 68th Street so that we could get a tree. I selected one about six feet tall, with minimal girth (I don't like em too bushy -- prefer the charlie brown style) and we tied it to the car and brought it home. Kathleen and Charles were with us so it was perfect timing. I had Kathleen to help me hang ornaments and Charles to string the lights and then sit on the couch with Robert and watch sports. Aah. Sports. Sigh.
Anyway, once lit and decorated, it was like every other domesticated christmas tree in the world, but somehow that didn't make it any less satisfying or provoking of oohs and aahs and feelings of warmth and happiness. I lucked out that when I moved into this apartment, the previous occupants had left behind a large shopping bag full of beautiful christmas ornaments and a stand. My roommate at the time (a/k/a an idiot of monumental proportions) proclaimed that she was going to throw them in the garbage. I stopped her then and put them aside and now I am glad because I didn't have to buy a single ornament. There were more than enough in quantity and variety to cover my tree with shine. We didn't have an ornament for the tip-top so I found a sparkly gold ribboned corsage with ribbon fashioned roses nested in gold mistletoe which had been wrapped on a present I received a few years ago and saved. I attached it to the top of the tree and could not have been happier with any other ornament in the world. It's perfect. The tree sits in front of the large closet in my living room with the two mirrored doors, so I bordered the entire closet with colored lights to kind of frame the tree. It looks so happy. And it makes me ridiculously happy to look at it.
So Kathleen and I exchanged presents. I gave her a pair of heavenly thigh high wool crocheted socks and a set of paints, pastels & colored pencils. She gave me a copy of Lolita, (because the copy I just read was hers) and also a copy of The Stories of Vladimir Nabokov, which I cannot wait to read. She also gave me a stack of blank cds and cd cases and loaned me her entire cd collection to burn for my very own while she is away for the holiday. I feel so lucky!
I know it's disgusting, but I am really into it this Christmas. I'm not even remotely Christian either, but my family always celebrated Christmas anyway and it's still one of my favorite times of the year, despite all the bullshit and consumerism associated with it. I still enjoy giving and receiving presents and having a big gaudy tree in my living room and eating lots of treats. It's the best.
Posted by Maria at December 21, 2003 04:26 PM