The Family Tree

This is the one tree that I can touch. In one sense this may be the least beautiful tree, but in another sense it is the most beautiful. Many of its ornaments come with a story; many of them have dates on them. A number of the ornaments were given to us, some were hand painted by the person giving them, some were made in Sunday school or youth group.

Every year as Vickie and I trim this tree we reminisce about the years and the people it represents. There's an ornament given to us by a young boy  years ago who will graduate from college next year. Two ornaments painted by a dear friend now living in Florida. Another ornament given by a woman who had a dream to stage Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in our church - the ornament has a painting of Joesph's coat.

We have a Cocker Spaniel  ornament, that's our Chris Ann ornament; she's been gone for a long time and is now waiting in Narnia for us. Then there is a Border Collie ornament, that's our Mitzi ornament, she is also in Narnia - hopefully she's not quite as temperamental these days. We need to find a Darby ornament, that would be a Shepherd-Lab mix; Darby knew both Chris Ann and Mitz, and she knew Lina too; she never met Lilly. Darby is in Narnia.

Yes, the theme trees are certainly pretty, even beautiful, and I do appreciate them. But the family tree...well it actually has a theme too, a theme of relationships. From the first Christmas that Vickie and I shared, to our beloved puppies, to our treasured friends. Sacred relationships are the ornaments of life; a primary relationship with Jesus Christ and treasured relationships with others are what is meant to be the source and substance and adornment of life. Merry Christmas.

The Porch Tree

For lack of a better description, I'm calling this The Porch Tree. It's on the back porch, doesn't have any lights, and doesn't require water.

The Garden Tree

This is the most difficult tree to photograph (at least for an amateur like me) because the lights are blue and the night photos come out dark. Most all of these photos are taken in the daytime.

The Crystal Tree

The Kitchen Christmas Tree

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This is the Kitchen Christmas Tree. In case I haven’t mentioned it, I’m not permitted to touch these trees. Well, there is one tree I can help put up, the Family Tree, but other than that this is all Vickie’s project. This is a good thing for me and a safe thing for Vickie because you really don’t want me touching fragile things.

Trees – The Victorian Tree

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This is the Victorian Tree. I don’t know if it is modeled on Queen Victoria or what; maybe this is the way she dressed before Prince Albert died; if I’m not mistaken she wore black after his death…and she kept wearing it.

If you’re expecting a story about me wearing something Victorian that is similar to my Shoe Tree story you’re going to be disappointed; I’ve never worn anything Victorian as far as I know.

I’m tempted to write some heavy observations about the Victorian Era but I think I’ll give you a break because I don’t know that many folks would be interested in it. I will say that if you’ve never explored Victoria and Albert’s marriage that it’s worth the time. Their son, Prince Edward, had a pretty restricted childhood and didn’t become King until well along in life; I wonder if Prince Charles will ever know what it’s like to sit on the throne?

I’m really fighting the temptation to write about the 19th Century, maybe I’ll head over to my Mind on Fire blog and give it a try soon.

Merry Christmas!

Trees – The Shoe Tree

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This is the Shoe Tree, the first of seven trees that I’ll post. If you’re a guy you probably won’t find your favorite shoe on this tree. I imagine Imelda Marcos would have liked this tree. I’ve never been into shoes. Oh I’ll admit that when my brother Bill and I got our first pair of Keds tennis shoes/sneakers that we went out back and ran to see if we’d go faster, needless to say we didn’t break the sound barrier.

I’m not sure the last time I actually purchased a pair of shoes; the fact is that Vickie buys them and I wear them. Why I remember than once she brought home two left shoes, seems the salesperson got them confused in the box or something like that. Anyway, I didn’t know any better so I wore them a few times trying to make the best of things. Then one day I was walking down Grace Street in Richmond and saw a guy who was walking kind of funny; as I pondered his unusual walk it dawned on me that we had something in common, I was walking the same way.

Well the closer we got to each other the more we stared at each other’s feet until we stopped toe to toe, all eyes on the shoes. “Hey Bud,” he said, “I think we’ve got a mutual problem. Seems our wives both shop at Big Al’s Shoes for Men and seems they both dealt with the same salesman.”

“I’d say you’re right,” I replied. “I guess the good news is that they bought us the same style of shoe.”

“Yep, no doubt about it. You a size ten?”

“Sure am,” I said in relief.

So he gave me a right shoe and I gave him a left shoe and we went on our ways; though it did take me a few days to recover my normal gait.