Beneath the Wraps

         Richard and I picked Jaime up from school on the 6th.  A few days later Jaime and I put up the tree and finally started decorating but left oodles of space on the tree so that Ally could also decorate.  She's been running a fever, learned that she has a kidney infection among the many health problems that she has already been blessed with.  She did manage to put up a few ornaments before she returned to bed.          On Friday we did the yard.  Well, mostly Biff, Clair and Jaime.  Richard supervised - or at least said that is what he was doing.  Jaime wrapped lights around the pine tree.  She is a mountain goat and was able to step on the rocks and unbalanced ground without slipping.  She put up some ornaments and I put up some.  Still room on the outside tree for more ornaments but we've had rain and wind in addition to the near freezing temperatures.       ...

             I remember taking down the tree on New Year’s Day each year.   It became tradition I would suppose for many families.   And gosh, darn, I will definitely miss the lights and decorations that had popped up in so many yards even before Thanksgiving.   The Myrtle Creek – Tri City area is always so dark.   It is nice to have the Christmas lights to remove some of the darkness.           On New Year’s Day this year I read a couple of thoughts which helped ease the pain of this tradition that I have come to hate.   David Butler has a facebook page in which he shares uplifting thoughts.   On New Year’s Day he compared taking down the tree to the first Christmas – perhaps a week after the fact – when Joseph and Mary had to leave the manger and move on.   They could not stay where they were nor could they take the manger with them.   And why would they want to? ...