Three weeks ago,
we chose you,
carried you home,
installed you
in our living room,
and decorated you.
Who knows how long
you graced the woods
of Oregon
before you were cut and stacked
among other fragrant trees
and roared southward
in a dark truck?
On this January 3rd,
all your needles
are still in place.
I breathe in your spruceness
as I walk round and round you,
and look at my favorite ornaments
from the angel on down.
Dressed in lights and color,
you reach a few inches
above me.
Here you are,
lovely creature –
I embrace you!
But Christmas is over –
Visiting family’s left
and the last carol’s been played
and the candles are burned down.
Wreaths have disappeared from doors,
cards and gifts are put away.
And Jesus is a ten-day-old baby
Whose parents have fled
to save him from evil.
It’s time to take you down,
Christmas tree.
Yet here you are –
Like a young girl
smiling and twirling,
her skirt
sparkling and flaring
in a circle,
humming as her
tiptoeing feet propel her,
hands reaching and pointing
over her head –
Here you are!
Still dancing
before me.
Oh, Christmas tree!
I love the dancing girl image, Sally. You have a gift for helping us see things in a new way. I think I will forever look at our Christmas tree and see a dancing girl! Thank you!
Ironically, Marlene, this year’s tree (the poem is from back some years) did not suggest a dancing girl at all! 2022’s tree was very straight and almost prim, slim, didn’t spread much. Still beautiful in a different way. A rather stately tree this time around!
I can visualize the images of which you are speaking! How fitting! All of us are flawed but Family Visitations during Advent are still pricelessly valuable events! Happy New Year! Tina and Ross
Tina, Thank you!
Lovely! as always!
I remember some pretty trees from your house in San Diego, Helen.
I too am taking my tree down this morning. I alway feel a little sad doing this, packing up the memories of special treasured ornaments.. l know It seems odd but I wish we could leave the tree up all year! But until next year..
Thanks Sally, I’ll think of the smiling twirling girl, as I but things away for another year!🎄😊
I have always felt sad to take a Christmas tree down – and of course it’s more than just the tree – it’s the season visibly ending. Yet I also rejoice at all that space suddenly freed up again!
Lovely imagery, Sally!
Thank you, Meridith!
Even though my tree is a good-looking fake, I’m always sad to put it away!Delightful imagery of a dancing girl!
All trees are beautiful!
Let her dance a little longer! Our Loretta once left a tree up until June. I once left one up year-round and just changed the decorations to suit the season…imagine my Fourth of July tree!
If you do that again, please document — I’d love to see the various seasons!
Outdoors, I’m still “celebrating” Halloween — we got an especially handsome exotic pumpkin this year, didn’t carve it (they last a long time that way), and it sits in the succulent bed at the front of the house, looking smug. One year, we even kept a pumpkin through to Easter (an early one that year, I think) and put ears on it for Easter Sunday!
Trees and ornaments stay till The Feast of the Epiphany for me. My daughters dancing tree is still here in SD.
Hopefully I go home to a decent amount of snow in Idaho.
Snow on evergreens is one of my favorite sights.
Also want to use my snow shors!
I’m with you, snow on evergreens is a beautiful sight — but as you know, San Diego doesn’t furnish much of that! THank goodness for people sharing photos on Facebook!