What Child Is This?

This is me at 2 or 3 years old (Mom or Dad?).  See the beautiful green tree?  Oh wait, it's white.  Growing up, we always went out to a tree farm, in the snow, and sawed down our Christmas tree.  Dad let us help drag it through the snow as Mom filmed it on a huge 8mm mving picture camera.  We brought the tree home, let the snow thaw off it and put in in the living room where we sprayed "snow" on it.  My Mom also sprayed snow drifts in the panes of our living room windows.  It was so beautiful and magical.  All white and silver and tinsely.

We also had an actual silver aluminum tree that stood in the basement with colorful lights on it.  The fancy decorations went on the upstairs living room tree while the homemade or non-breakable ornaments were sanctioned for the basement tree.  The living room was rarely used during the rest of the year but during the Christmas season, my brothers and I would lay under the tree, looking up at the sparkling lights.  In fact, later,  when we had paper routes, we would get up at 3:30 in the morning to deliver papers in the snow, turning the tree lights on before we left.  It was such a comfort to come back into the warm house, lay under the tree and stare at the lights; visions of Christmas, cousins, and presents dancing in our heads.

When our children were babies, I'd sing them to sleep (I do not have a nice singing voice but...infants are very non-discriminate!)  For Kate, I sang What Child is This.  John preferred Little Drummer Boy.  Even when it wasn't the season, these were songs they quieted for, stared at me during, and listened to.  And then they slept.  Magical.