Mindful of how busy I am at this time of year, my Mom always said to take Christmas where I found it.  She meant to enjoy every moment of the season and glean Christmas from the smallest experience.  So, on my drive home from Halifax, I was on the lookout for what I call “Christmassy things”. 

One of these was a big truck, well-packed with Christmas trees, bound for markets in the United States.  I thought of how these simple natural fir trees from New Brunswick would be the center of Christmas decorations far away.

We are lucky in New Brunswick to be able to buy a freshly-cut tree.  In years past, we often went with my brother’s family to cut our own Balsam Fir at a U-Cut.   It was fun, watching the kids running through the snow, so excited to choose a tree.  Some years, we had a tree from my Dad’s property, one of the many he and my Mom planted and tended.  I have also cut a Christmas tree from our own woods, although sometimes they are a bit lopsided.   Today, we usually buy our tree from a local grower, in a lot where the trees lean against the fence, categorized by height. 

It is so hard to decide on the perfect tree.  We have high ceilings, so the taller the better.  And I want a tree without a bird’s nest (some people think it is lucky to have a bird’s nest in the tree), so I check between every branch!   I also usually want a relatively thin tree, to let the decorations hang easily. 

Today or tomorrow, my husband and I will go out to get this year’s tree.  We will wrap the tree in a red bedspread, set aside for this purpose, and tie the tree securely to the top of our car.  We will take it home to settle for a day or so, and then bring it inside.  And the fresh smell of cold air and balsam will expand from the tree into our living room.  And, as in other years, it will be the best tree ever.

~

evergreen

~

*

under

snow prismatic

white distils to green

wintergreen and woodfern

clubmoss and conifer, chlorophyll

wedged  into  slim  space  between

earth

and

ice

~

©  Jane Tims  2011