The Happy Tree

Two years ago, I bought a cheap 6 1/2 foot white Christmas tree from Walmart to use for a holiday photo shoot. I wanted to do something different from the typical red & green Christmas. Little did I know at the time how much joy I would receive for my $39.99.

For many years, I have decorated a Christmas tree in our kitchen. If I were truly going to get to enjoy a Christmas tree, it needed to be in the area where I spent most of my time. I spend the largest amount of my time in either the kitchen or the computer room which looks into the kitchen. So began the tradition of a Christmas tree in our kitchen. There have been live pines and small artificials, but always a tree in the kitchen.

Last year when I started to decorate our home for the holidays, I decided that I would put the crazy white tree in the kitchen. Why not? I already had it, so why not use it. I draped it with beautiful white twinkly lights, but something was still missing. I added a string of colorful satin 1 1/2 inch globe lights. Ahhh, now I was on to something. The brightly colored lights gave a colorful glow to the white Christmas tree. The cord to the globe lights is forest green, but that didn't stop me. That dark green cord just adds to the crazy charm of the tree.

I filled it with brightly colored glass ornaments, both new and vintage. It sports a frog in a pink hula skirt/tutu and a pink glass flamingo. It shines with glittering snowballs and shimmering icicles and snowflakes. With each ornament I would hang on the tree, a new smile would spread across my face. As Christmas drew near, it soon became clear to me that my crazy tree still made me smile every single time I walked into my kitchen. It quickly became known as my "happy tree". My daughter told me that it looked like it belonged in a Dr. Seuss book. It has the same appeal as plastic pink flamingos on a lawn. Tacky? Why, yes...but just try not to smile at it!

This year has been a challenge for me. The discovery of the disease that has forever changed my life has not been an easy thing to face. As the holidays approached, I had to make some choices. The flurry of cooking and decorating has been tempered by other circumstances. Priorities, you know? Last week I had a three day dose of IV steroids followed by a week of near hell dealing with the harsh side effects. With each day that passes, I hope that this will be the day that I feel better. My head, my brain, has been a real challenge this past week, feeling squishy and heavy and swollen, as if it just could not fit inside my skull. Being vertical aggravates the already miserable feeling as well as causes numbness in my neck, face, lips and up to the bridge of my nose. This numbness and swollen feeling also affects my hearing.

On Wednesday, I could tell that I felt a tiny bit better and with each day since there has been slight improvement. Even as I type this blog, my brain feels like it is being squeezed, like something in there is trying to make room and there just is none to be had.

With Christmas fast approaching, I just couldn't stand not yet having a Christmas tree. So on Thursday and Friday I worked diligently at assembling and decorating my happy tree. It took me all day Thursday to get it assembled and another entire day to get it decorated. I tried to look at it in the way that the wonderful Flylady has taught me to meet other challenges in my life, one piece, one step, one bite at a time. I would hang a branch and lie down for a while and then I would hang another branch until finally, I had a whole tree. It may have taken 2 1/2 days, but my happy tree now stands cheerfully in my kitchen.

I have decided that this year I will take the "Happy Tree" to a new level. With the new challenges that I am facing in my life, I sometimes need to be reminded of all the many things that bring me joy. With every day that the Happy Tree stands in my kitchen, I will write down on a small tag, one thing that brings me joy. I will hang each and every tag on my Happy Tree as a constant reminder that in spite of the struggles, there is much in my life to be joyful about.

May you all find a Happy Tree in your lives this holiday season.