We're officially one week away from Christmas. And by the time you read this, most of us here at Rural Sprout will be taking a well-earned holiday to rest and spend time with our families. We hope all of you get to do the same too.

 

 

There was the time I told Dad our tiny pond was too small to ice skate on, so he told me to hop in the truck, and he threw his snow shovel in the back. He drove us to the lake up the road, where he shoveled a huge patch on the lake so that I could skate. 

 

Or the time a blizzard was predicted, so my mother and I decided to hit up the grocery store for baking supplies then drive to my grandmother’s in the country to get snowed in and bake all weekend. 

 

Or when my oldest son was four and decided that the snow fort we had all built together as a family was supposed to be for the chickens. He kept trying to herd our little flock into the snow fort. I still have a picture of him with his favorite chicken, a tiny bantam hen he named Bella, tucked into the front of his snow bibs. 

 

But as this newsletter will be wrapping up this little break from our traditional format, I wanted to share something a bit more meaningful. 

 

Our family is a little nuts about Christmas trees. One of the first things we note when walking into someone’s new home is how high the ceilings are. The highest compliment we give is, “Boy! You could fit a huge Christmas tree in here.” 
 

 

My daughter and her new hubby are flying to Arizona to spend Christmas at the Grand Canyon with his family this year. They decided not to get a full-sized tree this year since they would be traveling. So, they opted for a cute little Norfolk Island pine. But I got the impression she wasn’t altogether thrilled about it.

 

 

She said she finally figured out why not having the traditional Christmas tree bothered her so much. “Decorating the tree is a bit like our family’s version of the Day of the Dead.” 

 

 

For those unfamiliar with Día de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, it’s a Mexican holiday celebrated on the first two days of November. It is a celebration honoring departed family and friends. 

 

She went on to explain that the time spent decorating the tree is a time of reflection. It’s a time to look back on the past year. It’s a time to look ahead. And as you unwrap each ornament, they all seem to bring a memory back. Maybe it’s where we got the ornament or remembering who gave it to us. 

 

For my daughter and me, it’s usually my mother we think of while decorating the tree. My mother passed away in the month of February, but it always seems we miss her most at Christmas time. She loved Christmas. 

 

Nearly half of the ornaments on my tree belonged to my mother. Four, in particular, hold special meaning. They are four wooden cut-outs – Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger and Kanga. Mom always let me hang those on the tree. You see, they used to hang above my crib. They were the decorations on the baby mobile she hung in my nursery. 

 

As I hung those four ornaments on my tree, I knew the woman who gave them to me was leaving us. And suddenly looking at them, I didn’t see Christmas ornaments anymore, I saw their original purpose, and a young woman who looked an awful lot like me, tucking in a tiny baby and singing Winnie the Pooh along with the tiny music box on the mobile. 

 

Even now, as I sit here in my living room writing to all of you and looking at those same ornaments, I can’t help but agree with my daughter’s wise words. Everything hung on this tree is a summation of my family. 

 

Who we are, who we were, places we have visited, the family we love, friends who have come and gone, babies who have turned into kids who have grown into adults, places we’ve lived – it’s all there on the tree. 
 

 

Whether you put up a Christmas tree every year, or even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, I hope you find some time to sit and remember. I hope you look back and find peace. I hope you look ahead and find hope. And right now, I hope you find joy. 

 

Next week there will be no newsletter as we’ll all be on holiday. So, I’ll wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays now to those that celebrate. And I’ll see you next year!

 

Don’t forget to head over to Rural Sprout, as we’ve been busy putting up new articles all week. We’ve had a lot of great pieces about houseplants over the last month, so you can keep your indoor garden looking great.