Thrifty Thursday: Christmas Blessings

     My earliest Christmas memories growing up involved a squat artificial tree, decked with handmade hearts and reindeer. But as I grew, so did the tree. Eventually, it morphed into 2 stunning trees, draped with ribbon garlands and vintage ornaments, glowing with soft white lights. One with dusty, mauve tones and golden trimmings, stood beside the piano in the living room. Another, still gold but with deep burgundy and forest green hues graced the family room. My mother never cared for silver. "It's too cold," she'd shiver. Basking in the warm radiance of the Christmas tree was my favorite way to spend wintry December evenings. Some guests thought it strange to visit for Thanksgiving and see our tree in all its splendor already sprouted from the living room floor. They'd have been more surprised several years later if they'd seen the family room of the new house we moved into. By that time we'd purchased the second tree and though we didn't set it up 'til the Holidays, the rest of the family room's decor was Christmas all year long. My mother collected Santas and they lined the book shelves, hidden among evergreen garlands and long, tapered candles.
     I loved this. I loved hitting the"after-Christmas" sales for tree decor, finding just the right touch to add to next year's display; A roll of sheer, pink ribbon, or a pair of hearts, decoupaged with Victorian-era style holiday greetings. Our handmade dough ornaments were no less loved - the tree simply matured with our tastes. It didn't happen overnight, rather they developed gradually, each year adding precious new items, until "the tree" became "the trees", grand and glorious and bright.

     When Richard and I were married, several good friends and family members bestowed us with Christmas decorations as wedding gifts. How treasured these tokens of affection have become. For our first year of marriage we were thrilled with our miniature glass-bead Christmas tree. It stood a proud 8 inches tall on our kitchen table. But the following year we experienced one of the many thrifty miracles that have come to characterize our marriage!

     It was nearing Christmas. It would be our first with a new baby; A baby that was born 2 months ahead of schedule. Our preemie would be 6 months old soon and we were scraping together enough to pay off all the medical bills we'd accrued with her miraculous birth. We were happy and grateful and full of anticipation for the magic of Christmas. One afternoon, my mother-in-law called and asked me if we'd be interested in a Christmas tree. One of her neighbors was remarrying and the new couple was having a yard sale to get rid of all their duplicate items. I thought that sounded lovely and agreed to have her pick it up for us. The tree actually ended up being part of the items the neighbors decided to give away rather than sell, so it didn't cost a dime! I was happy at the prospect of a "furnished" tree -- my mother-in-law said some ornaments were included. I began to daydream about what it might look like. I never dreamed it would be anything as elegant as what it turned out to be! Three boxes full of dazzling, shimmering golden ornaments and foliage. I thought we'd be starting with a squat, artificial tree, sparsely decorated with paper chains and maybe a few candy canes. And you know, I would have been truly pleased with that. Yet, my heart held precious memories of a regal tree, brimming with ornaments and pulsating with an inviting glow. To suddenly have that memory become a reality for me in my newly formed family was an absolute miracle. All at once, Christmas was in full bloom in our little apartment. It had come early that year -- just like our dear baby. 

     And we've been celebrating ever since.