| One of the things I love most about the season is our town Christmas tree. It warms my heart to see the love that goes into making Red Bluff festive. |
| Christmas Decorating Ideas |
| There's nothing I love more than tradition. Someone has been decorating this tree for years. I'd love to know the story behind the tree; I think it deserves a very special tribute. Yes, there is the tree on Main Street, but it lacks character...anyone can do that. This one, on the other hand, speaks of dedication to a cause of some kind. This tree is proof that you don't need to spend a pile of money to make a memory. This year, I'm celebrating thriftiness. Our society is becoming too materialistic and I don't want to buy into the hype... well, that's not the real reason. I'll just tell you the truth: the dentist has all of my Christmas money. Grinding my teeth in my sleep, I broke one off. Message to self: Stress down! It's okay, the lovely porcelain crown made a charming gift for the whole family. |
| Now, I'm going to tell you something embarrassing that happened earlier this week at work. It all started when someone had the clever idea to make paper snowflakes and hang them around the workplace. This was a lovely, inexpensive way to decorate, and we each took our paper and scissors and started to create. I looked at each of the women, seemingly at ease with this kind of project. Not so with me...I am not adept with scissors and was immediately inundated with negative self-talk. I began to feel very jealous of them all. I really wanted to impress them by making the very best snowflake they had ever seen. I attempted this, cutting elaborate circles on the paper, curlicues, and other innovative designs. I must say that they all seemed most impressed with what I was doing. Nonchalantly, I smiled, inwardly gloating about my superior snowflake. Finally, the moment of triumph arrived. I unfolded my snowflake in a grand gesture...but it looked...exactly like a set of ovaries. The other ladies mouths fell open when they saw it. An uncomfortable silence fell over the room. "Okay, okay," I said in an attempt to relieve the obvious unease that everyone was feeling. "It looks like ovaries...complete with the fallopian tubes." Everyone's voice seemed to go up an octave as they offered false sounding reassurances that the snowflake looked just fine. Everyone else's snowflake looked perfect and round. My only option was to help the embarrassing thing disappear at the first opportunity. Then, to my dismay, someone decided to laminate all of the snowflakes...you know, to preserve them. Now my plot to rip it accidently and irreparably was destroyed. The other day, a visitor saw the snowflakes and was remarking how beautiful they were. Then their eyes fell on mine. "That one's really different." Really, an equivocal remark was the safest route. Martha Stewart, I'm not. Somehow, I was born into a family of two incredibly talented and artistic parents. My sister inherited it all. I can't draw stick people. I can, however, appreciate true beauty when I see it...and our town tree is truly a work of art. I was delighted when I heard that the City of Red Bluff had made plans to honor the tree in a special ceremony. It deserves the special recognition. Currently, fund-raising efforts are underway that will enable top notch naturalists to begin caring for the tree year round. There is talk of establishing it as a historical landmark in Tehama County. It's about time! |
