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oh tanenbaum

I can not think of a Christmas tree that I had growing up or at my own house that I didn't totally love. Every year I think our tree is the prettiest I've ever seen. This year is no exception.

Mom and I used to squabble every year over how the lights went up. I can't remember why but somehow I think we were both trying to do the same thing and got in each other's way. We were both trying to put the lights in such a way that the tree just naturally glowed and you couldn't see the strings. All those years of fussing must have paid off because the lights on my tree (and mom's) always look perfect. They are distributed perfectly and the tree looks as those it were born wearing lights.

As long as it is possible my trees will always have white and colored lights. I've had several adults comment on how they were surprised I liked colored lights on trees. This was before they saw how beautiful my tree is, of course. I can't imagine not having colored. They don't blink but growing up I always liked them to blink. So, the little Jesse Tree in Maddie's room has a fancy light box that gives us all kinds of options on lighting affects - blinking, running, twinkling, steady on, fading, and what I refer to as seizure setting. She loves them blinking so I can see at some point our big tree may become a blinker, too.

I remember being in college and Mom commenting on having all white lights that year. It was appalling and ,thankfully, didn't happen.

The ornaments are also very important. What kind we have is not so important as how they hang. Again, thanks to Mom I can't stand for a hanging ornament to be resting on a lower branch. So, I fix every branch so that every ornament can hang freely. I'm so obsessed with this that I secretly fix other people's trees if I can. No thanks necessary.

But I do love our ornaments. This year we have ornaments that Phil had growing up, ones we've collected in traveling (Poland, El Salvador, China, Delaware), ones I got from friends, Steiner made ornaments and colored balls. Phil made a star for the top with felt, fabric, and by bending wire. It's amazing.

I just love our tree and I wish everyone could see it.

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