The Tree

It's December 22, 2009. In past years I would have been finishing up my shopping, baking, decorating the house...making things merry and bright.

I have purchased three "gifts" ornaments for the grandchildren to put on their trees....with thoughts of them making it through years of being packed away, unpacked put on the tree and then packed away until the next year.

To say I'm behind in my shopping is ridiculous, I haven't started! I'll try tomorrow.
Flour, butter, sugar, nuts and spices are in the kitchen; waiting to become cookies....I wish them luck!

There is a tree, a Christmas tree? I'm not sure what it should be called. It's an evergreen, with lights, glass balls and ornaments; sounds like a Christmas tree. The only catch is, I no longer consider myself Christian so how can the tree have Christ in its name?

I had been lying on the couch, enjoying the glitter, festivity and magic the tree has brought to our living room. Thinking how the tree is glistening through the window and from the outside, this looks like a Christian house.... Am I fooling people? What do they think? What does my family think? I was wrestling with my non-Christian self and our tree.

As a diversion, I grabbed my laptop to read mondoweiss, a blog by my friend, Philip Weiss.....Ironically, what's Philip agonizing about? "The Tree" Philip is Jewish; his wife is Christian. For many years he resisted her desire for a tree.It sounded as though this wasn't the first tree they've had, but this one was troubling him...what if his Orthodox neighbors see it? what will they think of him?....he's been asked to put lights on it....what if he's seen doing this? the front door is mostly glass....people will see The Tree and him. His wife suggests he put on a costume.

We are having similar dilemmas and all because The Tree is associated with Christ and religion. It origin goes back to pagan times...the shortest day of the year...hope for the return of light.. Like many traditions associated with religious holidays it really has nothing to do with religion.

I've thought of alternative names for my tree....magical tree, tree of magic, holiday tree, tree of memories...finally I think I have it!

It's a winter solstice tree!