You Should Tie That Down....

December 2...A Holiday Filled With Joy

"That thing is road pizza," he laughed. I just turned around as the chorus of Jingle Bells was abruptly stopped, to see our perfect tree smashed in the road. I knew we should have tied it down!

We had been out on our family Christmas Tree outing. Both kids had a friend along and it was a great time. We had hot chocolate, the kids did a little sledding and after walking through a lot of snow we found the perfect tree.

I mentioned to my husband we should tie the tree down in the back of the pickup. "It will be fine," he said. So we were on our way. We made it pretty far, but about 15 miles from home the tree blew out...As we were getting ready to turn around to go back to get it, a semi truck followed by a motorhome were coming from the other direction. This wasn't going to be good.

By the time we got back to our perfect tree, it was "road pizza" as Daniel so vividly expressed it. Imagine my perfect tree run over by a semi and a motorhome....

I was more than a little disappointed. I wanted THAT tree. We found another, which was also very pretty and it all turned out fine. BUT...now we always tie down the tree.

That was many years ago and just one of our great Christmas Tree hunting memories. Now the kids are grown and we don't do that much anymore. We have a beautiful tree this year which my husband picked out and cut. I did have my daughter's help decorating.

The whole tree experience is one of my favorites, because no matter what the tree looks like, who cut it or who decorated it...it is filled with memories. The ornaments made by the kids, the ones brought from my husband and I from our childhood, the special gifted ornaments from friends and family, the ones that are made carefully by hand and filled with love.  Looking at the tree represents family and love.

Each year as we put up a tree, a story of a past tree always comes up. It brings back memories that will be cherished forever. As you put up your tree this year...I wish you blessings of joy and many new memories to hold in your heart forever.

Lord, we come with joy to celebrate the birth of your Son, who rescued us from the darkness of sin by making the cross a tree of life and light. 

May this tree, arrayed in splendor, remind us of the life-giving cross of Christ, that we may always rejoice in the new life that shines in our hearts.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.