Karl hates Christmas. I don't know if it's because his mom passed away soon after the holiday and it reminds him of it, because he despises the consumerism, or because he gets sick every Christmas Eve. Seriously, every Christmas Karl has a cold and it is a bummer for everyone. Earlier this year we went for a hike and during our conversation he mentioned how evergreens always make him wheezy, even the smell of artificial pine gives him a headache and causes him to sneeze. Well duh, he gets sick every Christmas because we have a ginormous evergreen tree in our home!
"We won't have a tree this year," Karl decided. "I'll make something with leftover wood, we can have pegs and hang cranberry and popcorn garlands."
"If it can't hold traditional ornaments, I don't want it." I replied. Sorry, but I love tradition. I love unwrapping ornaments and remembering the stories behind them. I love that Emerson's old enough now to be interested in those stories. I love putting on my Santa hat, turning on the holiday music channel on the TV, pouring a glass of wine and decorating the tree while singing along with the tunes. It doesn't feel like Christmas until that silver-plated Pottery Ban star I bought in high school before I even had a home of my own is put on the top of the tree.
And so this Sunday the tree we strapped to the roof of our Subaru was in a box, and the box proudly proclaimed that the contents were part of the Jaclyn Smith collection.
As we strapped the box to the roof of the car, I made a joke about this being very un-pinteresty. Karl being a good blogger's husband knew exactly what I meant. And being a good pain in the ass who loves to tease me, he decided to drive slowly all around town past the grocery store, the lake, the farmers market, the aquatic center so everyone could see our Jaclyn Smith Prelit Sheffield Pine. I hit his arm, told him to take us home, but soon was laughing just like Emerson was in the back seat because come ON, Christmas isn't about Pinterest, Christmas is about family! And my family will be healthier and more in the holiday spirit with our plastic prelit Jaclyn Smith tree than something that could be liked or favorite or retweeted or repinned.
So Emerson and I donned Santa hats, I got her a juice box and me a glass of juice from a different box (hey hey hey Bota!), we turned on the Christmas music and decorated our new tree while Karl made dinner. Ornaments were broken in the process, there's far more ornaments on the lower right side of the tree where Emerson hovered, and this tree isn't nearly as majestic as the cut ones we have brought home in previous years. But for the first December in a while, I felt the Christmas spirit coming from all of us in the home. Karl even sang along with a couple of the songs! The holidays aren't about Pinterest or Facebook or Instagram but about the people in your heart. The snow is snowing and the wind is blowing, but I will weather the storm. What do I care how much it may storm, I've got my love to keep me warm!
