When I was growing up, traditions were always a big deal, but especially at the holidays. My parents loved holidays. Not only did we celebrate American holidays but, being Dutch, we celebrated Dutch holidays too. We even threw in a few Jewish holidays for good measure.

It was a tradition in our house to put up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. My parents, being Dutch, were very frugal, so our tree was plastic. Every year that tree looked sadder and sadder, but we still continued to use it. I really hated that tree.

One year an opportunity came up to go cut our own tree. It was hard, but I convinced my parents that it really was worth the ten dollars.  But the next year, the plastic tree was back. "I like the plastic tree," my mom said. "It looks just fine after the ornaments are all on and it doesn't shed like a real one." Ah, yes, our rag tag hodge podge of ornaments.

One of the traditions my parents started was to buy an ornament for each family member every Christmas. This was, in theory, so that we children would have enough ornaments to decorate our own trees when we left home.  In reality, twenty or so ornaments don't do a whole lot on their own. However, when you multiply all those ornaments by four children and two parents, adding in all the assorted hand made ornaments that four children can produce, it makes for a very cluttered, er, festive tree.  A festive tree that leaned slightly to one side.  A festive tree that leaned slightly to one side and looked more like several ratty green bottle brushes stuck into an old broom handle.  I really hated that festive tree.

In spite of  my pleas for a perfect, artistically decorated tree, the ratty, overly decorated one continued to make its yearly appearance. Rather than professional decorations, the "boughs" were loaded with our own childish works of art .  And each year, six new ornaments fought for a place on its crowded wire branches. It was a mess. And, yet, in it's own way it was beautiful. It may not have looked like a traditional tree, but it was a tree that made memories.

I love that beautiful old tree!