How Chrissie Finishes the Tree...

My! I've never had a tree so big to take up all my ornaments! So I went to Wal-smart, and picked up two packages of fourteen glass balls each, and figured that should make it look a little better. As the weekend came, and sickness got worse, I very slowly began to add the special ornaments to the outer edges of the tree for the best viewing....

...all the prettiest....

all the sparkliest....

all the cutest....

and all the funniest....

Once I felt they were evenly distributed, my Hubby helped me move the tree to it's permanent location, and then I began to put on the final touch - the thing that makes the tree glow. That wonderful, dreamy thing called - drum roll please.....Tinsel!

I just read in Wikipedia that tinsel has been around since 1610. Invented by Germany, the original tinsel (which is derived from a French word "estincele"meaning 'Sparkle') was made out of silver. Later, it was made out of lead because it would hang better(but stopped, because of obvious safety reasons), and now it is made of shiny plastic, and is the key to the most lovely Christmas tree a glowing, shimmering Christmas tree lover could have! It's a pain in the neck. It's crazy to have around kids and dogs. It's at least six months before I have it all cleaned up, and cut off my vacuum beater. But it makes a beeeeautiful Christmas tree! And that's what counts, right?

When I was a kid, our family would decorate the tree before Christmas and we'd add tinsel and all. But by Christmas morning, my parents would make it look like a fairy story. They'd add a lot more tinsel. Then they would blow up balloons and have them in the tree and scattered around. All of the very special toys and gifts would be open, and set out with bows and ribbons ,and myriads of packages would be stuffed under the tree in red and green tissue paper, saying, 'with love from Santa Mom and Dad'. We'd just lay there for the longest time and just look at the tree and the lights, in the quiet and still of the early morning - Mmmmmm....yes....warm, fuzzy Christmas memories....

So, that's why I do the tinsel. Even my Hubby likes it. He kept asking when I was going to put the tinsel on. It's just not finished until the tinsel is on! That's tradition!! :) My Hubby likes to get new tinsel, because it lays nice and straight. I like to save money, though tinsel is not that expensive. I'll reuse tinsel for a couple years till Hubs finally puts his foot down and says 'That's it! It's time to get new stuff!!'

Beginning at the top of the tree, I grab a handful from the ziplock bag, and let the needles of the tree act like a comb and lay it evenly on as I go around and down to the bottom. My lovely Sparky, it seems, loves to play at the base of the tree, and her waggily tail gets caught in the tinsel, as she runs about, and it gets all over the house. I'm constantly putting it back. But that's the price I pay for beauty. If I had kids - I might (just might) reconsider having tinsel - or put the tree behind a cage, or something like that.

So far, so good! But, dear friends, I'm going to have you wait until tomorrow to see the final product! So stay tuned!

Well, getting to this computer has been a chore for me this week! I'm still feeling tired and a little sicky, but much better. But it's hard to be clever when you don't feel up to par.

God bless you, dear friends! May you be well, and keep warm!

Chrissie

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisodom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." Colossians 3:16