I Love Christmas Trees!

Editor’s Post by Deborah Hetrick Catanese

I suspect that the German heritage of my family was the impetus of my lifelong obsession with Christmas trees. Germany is credited for this fine tradition, while Martin Luther, the 16^th century German leader of the Protestant movement, is believed to have been the first to add lighted candles to the yuletide tree.  While Fire Marshals everywhere must cringe at the thought, several of my parent’s relatives and friends followed that very Deutsche tradition of using  special little clip-on holders and small candles from the local German store, back when I was growing up. I remember everyone gathered around to see the lighting of the tree candles while keeping a watchful eye and a fire extinguisher handy! No wonder they sing the song “Oh Tannenbaum, how lovely are thy branches” –  a truly breathtking sight!

When I was a child, I was told that the jolly elf came on Christmas Eve not only to bring gifts and fill stockings, but to put up and decorate the Christmas tree, complete with a Lionel train running round and round it. No wonder my parents always seemed so tired on Christmas morning….they did EVERYTHING after we kids went to sleep, including setting up the tree!  I hope they felt their effort was worth it, since the sight of that tree sparkling in our living room every Christmas morning is my most magical memory of Christmas. Once I was old enough to know who REALLY put up our tree, I graduated to playing Santa’s helper for my two younger sisters.  I  ooo-ed and ahh-ed over each and every glass ornament I took out of the box and carefully unwrapped the protective tissue paper from each of these treasures. And, thanks to their little elf, my parents weren’t quite as tired the next day, either!

Years later, I teamed up with my boy friend to buy 500 trees from a tree farm. We sold them ALL in the days leading up to Christmas.  Now that was a “feel good” job! Very few people are in a bad mood when shopping for a tree, and it’s really fun to see how different everyone’s taste is in trees… what is too fat to one person is a perfect shape to another! And when you help them to find their perfect tree… well, it just puts you in a holiday giving spirit!

I’m no longer in the tree selling business, but the obsession continues. For the past 26 years, this same guy (now my husband) and I have traveled over hill and dale to Ski’s Tree Farm to romp around all their beautiful acres until we find the perfect tree to cut down ourselves for our home.  Sometimes we find a Scotch Pine, or a Blue Spruce, or my favorite…a Concolor Fir.   I try to choose a tree that has room to display my ornaments, with spaces for them to hang in and room to add Baby’s Breath to resemble snow. We have been to Ski’s Trees on sunny days, frigid days, and days with snowflakes falling so perfectly you wanted to cry! And then there was that Christmas when the snow was almost as deep as our little kiddos were tall!  And every year, I wonder why I don’t take hikes all during winter, since it is so splendid and invigorating to bundle up and trek through the hilly woods, bare of color other than those gorgeous evergreens!

Over the years, tree ornaments became something I collected. And collected. And collected.  So many ornaments!  I have those glass ornaments from my parents, now vintage pieces. I have colorful woven straw ornaments that I used to import from Ecuador and sell to friends and small shops. I have ornaments that were given to me as gifts and ornaments that were made for me by hand. (I remember who gave me every one, and they all hold special meaning.) And I have all those “first” ornaments…first Christmas together, First Home, Baby’s First Christmas, etc.  And then there is my star and snowflake collection, and ornaments brought to me from around the planet, and Nutcracker ornaments, and Ballerina ornaments. And “Sealie”, my little son’s favorite, and Christina’s beloved little teacup mice! I have all the photos of my children visiting Santa at Kaufmann’s downtown, made into MY favorite ornaments!  I have enough ornaments for more than one tree, but I am not one of those with a tree in every room.  Each year, I take my time to find my one and only tree…and I put all my energy into it, carefully choosing which ornaments will appear for that year.

This year I will go back to non-fragile ornaments like I did when my kids were little, because I will have a special guest for Christmas…my son’s new rescued kitten named Bushes, who will be driving home with Brian all the way from Colorado! I have had cats in the past that climbed my Christmas tree, especially Madeline, but how could I get upset with a cutie like her?! I’m glad Bushes will be here this year, since it will be the first Christmas without my sweet fat cat Maya, who died this summer at age 13. Maya never climbed the tree, but loved to hang out under it.  One year, she was a witness, like the rest of my family, to our tree falling down on the day after Christmas. In the right mood, I can chuckle at the hysteria that ensued! We lost a few precious ornaments that day, but not as many as I feared. THAT was an experience we have worked hard to avoid since then, using various methods of shoring up our tree, but most especially a good tree stand.

I always play Christmas music while trimming the tree.  I fondly remember the year my then college age daughter intended to help me decorate the tree, but became so overtaken by the music of The Nutcracker playing that she joyfully danced her way through the whole process! (As a Nutcracker veteran, she has known every step to every role since second grade and played most of them, including the coveted Clara!)

Best of all, when I inhale the sweet scent of pine, or spruce, or fir in my house, I cannot help but be filled with gladness for the memories of Christmases Past, for Christmas Present, and for the anticipation of Christmases to come!

So, my merry Mamas, tell me about your favorite holiday tradition and what it means to you!

Fashionably and festively yours,

Deborah