A Charlie Brown Tree

As part of our "Underwear Christmas," we decided to get a much smaller tree this year. We went to Home Depot and avoided looking at the big trees altogether. We went to the four and five footers and found a chubby little tree that wanted to come home with us. It was the first one we looked at. Maybe I just wanted to get out of the lot, but I always think the tree finds me, not the other way around, and this tree decided to make it easy for me. I paid the $25 and Gary loaded the tree into the back of his truck. It would have fit into my car, but we always take the truck to the Christmas tree lot.

When we got home, Gary put the tree into the stand, strung some lights, then brought it from the garage to the living room and placed it in the corner. It looked a little pathetic because it's so much smaller than previous trees. I tweaked my back bringing in a plastic tub of ornaments, so had to postpone decorating the tree for a few days. The little tree sat there looking half-dressed in its colored lights until Sunday, when I felt better. Keegan, our three year-old grandson, was coming to spend the day with us and I thought it would be fun to have him help me with the tree. He said he would rather bake cookies instead. So we made chocolate chip cookies together and afterwards he agreed to help me with the tree if Papa would help too. Gary hasn't helped put ornaments on a tree since I met him 10 years ago. It's not his thing. Until now. When Keegan asks for help, Gary says yes.

I sat in a chair with a big cardboard drawer full of wrapped "ORDaments" as Keegan refers to them. Keegan would unwrap an "ordament" and hand it to Papa, then they would decide where to put it on the tree. It was as if Keegan was opening gifts on Christmas morning. He got so excited unwrapping the tissue paper that he would shake his hands and jump up and down. He'd squeal, "What is it? What is it? IT'S A BOAT!" or "What is it?!! IT'S A KITTY ANGEL! IT'S MICKEY MOUSE! IT'S COWBOY SNOOPY! IT'S A MOOSE," and on and on. I was squealing in delight along with him. Gary loved every minute of the project. We introduced Keegan to the "Christmas Pickle," a tradition in our family. It's supposed to be a German tradition, but that myth has been busted because there are very few Germans who have ever heard of it, much less participated. The glass pickle is the last ornament we put on the tree. The myth says that the first person to find the pickle on Christmas morning will have good luck for the following year. For us it's a little different. We decided that when Keegan finds the pickle each time he visits us this season, he gets a cookie! Gary gets a cookie for hiding the pickle, too. This was a big thrill for all of us.

Moral of the story, if you are feeling the least bit down at Christmas, invite a child over to play with you. Keegan said my tree is like Charlie Brown's because it has three "Snoopy ORDaments." This is the smallest tree I've had in many years, and the biggest and best time I've ever had decorating a tree, thanks to Keegan. And the inspiration of Charlie Brown.