Sunday, December 19, 2010

Charlie Brown Trees

We're an equal opportunity Christmas tree putter-upper-family. In the past when we were broker than the ten commandments, we cut down loblolly and buttermilk pines and placed them in the corner of our trailer. They were  little Charlie Brown trees, but they served us well.
Later, when I got a job that paid something other than Cracker Jacks,  we built our new house and started the tradition of buying trees we could plant after New Years.  We've had Christmas trees that were white pine, cedar, spruce, cypress, and hemlock. The first white pine we planted in the front yard twenty seven years ago is well over forty feet tall now.
We planted a hemlock tree by our front walk about ten years ago and for some reason, it hasn't grown much. So we decided to start decorating it each year at Christmas.
Today, when I strung the lights and plugged those babies up, only about half the lights came on. I know, I should have tested them before stringing, but I didn't.  So, I pulled up a chair and had resigned myself to checking each bulb.
As it turns out, the third bulb I tested was blown and when I replaced it, the strand sprang to life. Sometimes you get lucky.
Our niece Samantha spent a great deal of time with us before she started to kindergarten.  Each year, in addition to our regular tree, we did her a small Charlie Brown tree. She made many of the decorations herself, and it was an event we looked forward to each year.
She outgrew the tradition, but we enjoyed it while it lasted. She's in college now and has a two year old child of her own now. She called today and asked if we still had the stuff to decorate a Charlie Brown tree. She wants us to do one with her for her son Jordan. I smiled as Jilda relayed the conversation.
We've spent a lot of time and energy with our nieces and nephews. We'd like to think we've had a positive impact on their lives, but sometimes it's hard to know for sure.
I think it's a good sign that our niece wants to do a Charlie Brown tree for her child. Maybe he'll think of the experience when he's older, and remember it as fondly as we do.

6 comments:

  1. Children don't forget people who were loving to them. I have memories from when I was very small of family members or neighbors who were kind to me.

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  2. Somehow I don't think you have to worry about whether you had a positive impact on their lives. What a great story and it will continue for generations I hope. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. I have never hear of a Charlie Brown Tree and am still unsure as to what it looks like!! All I know is that your neice has warm and loving and lovely memories of her own special Charlie Brown tree that you made for her and now she wants her child to have the same too. That's just so sweet!!

    Take care
    x

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  4. Thanks y'all. Both Jilda and I feel strongly about doing things for the kids that will have a positive and lasting impact on their lives - books, art, music, real food (not fast food), and as much culture as we can expose them to.
    Hey Kitty, in The Charlie Brown Christmas special, he has a very small Christmas Tree.
    We've always called our small trees Charlie Brown trees.

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  5. I so understand the comment, "broker than the 10 commandments." I might borrow that one :)

    Sounds like your Christmas blessing came in a phone call :)

    Happy Holidays.
    Jules @ Trying To Get Over The Rainbow

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  6. They actually had a Charlie brown Tree for sale in a artificial somewhere I was at. I decorate outdoors so I don't have the mess to clean up. I put one up this year indoors since my kids where coming.Not sure when it will come down unless I want my chair back where I put it.

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