Making a Little Christmas Magic

While decking the halls and making the yule tide gay may not have similar meanings as originally intended there are some traditions that have survived, many that have changed, and many that have improved. As far back as I can remember there has been a tree that much I am certain. The tree has always been a pine tree; including several species of pine (Douglas Fir, Blue Spruce, Grand, Noble, etc) as well as appearance of said tree; short, tall, thin, fat, real, or live was a matter of preference. For my family when I was younger it was always a tall noble not too thin, and not too thick (gaps were acceptable). Today not much has changed for my own family; not too tall of a noble, not too thin, and not too thick (gaps are still acceptable). The change is in how the tree is harvested for years it was a tree lot; today in Oregon there are many U-cut lots and so we have started a new tradition in cutting our own tree. Next we move on to the lights; another grand tradition that has been around for as long as I can remember. A Christmas Tree was always covered in as many colored jeweled lights as possible in my earlier years. Lighting the tree always presented a challenge as hours were spent plugging in and trying to find the one bulb that caused the whole strand not to work; this of course was my job that I found exciting, challenging, and rewarding. Today our tree poses with a single color of white lights, and if a strand does not work it is thrown out and a new strand is bought; simplicity. After the lights the younger years showed strands and strands of tinsel in colors of red, green, silver, and gold. Today our tree is bare of such propaganda and poses no such garland. The decorations of years past were bulbs of glass or silk with larger bulbs adorning the bottom; as they ascended up the tree the size of the bulbs shrunk. Today there are but few bulbs on the tree and each ornament is a representation of our family and Christmases past. Finally the star on Christmas past was a spherical pointer that in no way resembled a star. Today our tree gracefully displays a simple five point star on top that is not lit. While the Christmas of years past have not changed much in the way of decorations; it was something I had to learn to accept. I think the hardest thing I had to come to accept was the loss of the tinsel and many colored lights. This was one my dads and therefore one of my favorite things. Our tree was so heavy laden with tinsel our tree could have shown without the lights. When I was first married to my beloved wife I was soon made aware that colored lights were out and tinsel was so 70's that it will never fly in this home. This was hard for me because tinsel and lights had become so much of Christmas that I did not realize what Christmas really was. Christmas is what you make of it for those you love; and this I mistook for tinsel and lights. Christmas to my dad was the happiest time of the year and he shared it with his family with bright lights and brighter tinsel. In many ways I am sure it was a small reflection of his childhood days. Christmas is about giving and taking, sharing and loving. Together with my wife we have created a Christmas that is a reflection of both of our childhoods as well as a reflection of us together. We have created some new traditions and have enjoyed many old traditions as well; we hope one day these will pass on through our children a reflection of us and what Christmas was in our home. I have come to know Christmas is so much more than tinsel and lights; as the true meaning rests in the birth of a humble child. This my father knew well and passed on to his children of which is now my responsibility to pass on to my children. Making Christmas fun helps to bring out the wonderful and true spirit of Christmas of giving and receiving love; taking a page from the one whose life we celebrate every December 25. I look with happiness at my green tree with white lights and no garland because I know that it is not the lights and the tinsel that makes the Christmas; but in the light of the eyes of your children that shines the true meaning.

We Choose Everyday whether or not to Live...

The word "live" reminds me of a conversation I had with my now beautiful wife Tiffany. We stayed up talking for hours on the responsibility of the partnership between a man and a woman. At one point in the conversation it turned to the ultimate show of love between two people; it was suggested that dying for someone has been the pinnacle of love for ages. After much thought on the matter we decided living for someone took more courage and showed more love than even dying. While it takes a lot of courage to die for someone and it does prove an ultimate sacrifice; living can be more difficult and harder to face at times. This became our theme and it was no surprise the "I will live for you" slogan surfaced on her wedding ring. To live is a choice we make every morning when we arise and every evening when we turn in. I now look at dying as not just the end of our physical life, but of our mental as well as our emotional life. Quiting or letting life control you is a means of dying and letting go. How we face life's challenges, whether to pursue or hold back on dreams, and the decisions that influence our lives brings us to the position of where we stand today. Every choice we have made in our life has put us exactly where we are currently. Continuing to make the same choices over and over will put us in an eternal circle which will spiral until we are no longer in control of our character. Shake things up a bit by choosing to live life to its fullest; look for the good life has to offer and reach for it. Take the challenges head on and let them teach and inspire you to improve daily; this will lead you to dream bigger, experience more, and overcome anything. Life is not about being led around and drifting aimlessly like a raft at sea. Life is about creating waves, changing your sails when the wind changes, and causing a little turbulence in your life. Life was meant to be experienced; it was not meant to be endured. Make a choice, decide where you want to go and find a way to do it. When given a choice between living and dying I choose to live every time...