Remembering Christmas trees past

Ghosts“Ghosts” is a rather melancholy name for a colored pencil piece that truly evokes more joy in my heart than sorrow. These Christmas ornaments all hung on our trees since before I was born and their fragile glass shells are whisper thin.  I remember huge real trees spreading their branches in our small living room – we grew up in a Cape Cod style house – there were 7 of us living there – and space was tight.

But, that tree, that real tree, with its fragrant boughs reaching out towards us….engulfing the whole house with its winter scent of pine. There was and still is, nothing like it.

My mother would unwrap the large light sets and patiently test them – this was the frustrating part, because we couldn’t decorate the TREE until the LIGHTS were put on…argh. It seemed to take FOREVER.

Finally, the lights were on, and the precious glass ornaments were unboxed. I can still see the cellophane-paned windows on the boxes as each treasured globe was lifted out. Invariably, one was lost each year – the one that falls off the branch and crashes to dust on the floor beneath.

Once all the ornaments were on, it was tinsel time! One strand at a time, said mom…and for the first 5 minutes we tried, we really did try to oblige, howeve, gradually one strand turned into 2, then 10 until we started throwing clumps of the silvery strands onto the branches.

When all was done and this masterpiece of glass, pine and metal was standing in all its sparkling glory in the corner of the living room, I would lie down on the floor just underneath the tree and look up into the branches, now brightly lit and glistening with color and shine. It was magic we created and I believed in it.

xo

P.S…. although the original is sold, “Ghosts” 14″ x 11″
giclee reproductions on paper & canvas wraps are available
http://bit.ly/stpghosts

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