Christmas

[cosmolinguist]

My parents sometimes bought their Christmas trees from a nearby plant nursery, but even when they succumbed to the grocery-store-parking-lot method of tree selection, we'd still usually go to this nursery to look at all their Christmasy things.

The cookies would trick me into thinking they had chocolate chips, but those were always raisins. The styrofoam cup of spiced apple cider was warm in my hand, always hot enough to burn one's mouth at first. I didn't like to drink cider much when I was little but I liked the way it smelled, so I would bring the cup to my lips periodically and take a tiny sip, but mostly just inhale. The whole place smelled good, though; the greenhouse was filled with poinsettias and holly wreaths.

Connected to the greenhouse was a room that, this time of year, was full of Christmas decorations, lights and angels and things that play music. My dad always liked to look at the collection of Santa Clauses. There's a corner that's always full of figures depicting different cultures' ideas of the guy, some in long white robes, some with dark skin, some wearing pointy hats, and many variations on the familiar American Santa.

As I was writing this, I remembered that my parents caved in and bought an artificial tree a few years ago. I keep forgetting about this because I was away at college by then, so when I remember I'm always disappionted a little. My mom always insisted that she wantd a real tree, but I guess she just had one too many years of pine needles getting ground into the carpet, trees that dry up right away, and the hassle of picking out a new one every year. I can see her point, I guess, but I helped build and dismantle our tree last year, and it's just not as cool.

(Crosslink: jrfrench on the curse of Michael Moore.)

Comments

[soltice.livejournal.com]

I've never had a real christmas tree. No one in my family seems to have had one either from my recollection. I remember when I was about seven or either, I found out that some people had actually bought real trees to dcorate their houses.

It was a marvel to me.

I think I even asked it we could have a real one that year, just because it was differet, but no one took my suggestion seriously. When I later thought about it, real tree's just seemed silly. They cost money, had to be watered and cared for as a real plant, and then quite uncerimoniously, tossed post-season.

So I've never had such an experience. My holiday reminicing occurs when we dig out all the decorations from a box somewhere in our basement. And then we spend most of the day setting the tree an decorating that house.

[cosmolinguist]

My family tends to think that everybody does things the way they do (and if they don't, they should), so I was raised thinking that many strange things were completely normal.

Thus I'm tempted, on an unthinking level, to feel bad for people who don't have similar experience (well, at least when the experiences I've had are good, and I'd have to say that Christmas-tree experiences don't fall into any of the particularly traumatic categories). But when I think about it, I suppose you've not actually led a deprived existence by not having any real Christmas trees in your life.

I think when I was younger I would've been happy to have a plastic tree, because I hated taking off all the ornaments and things when the needles had gotten all brittle and prickly. Later I succumbed to sentimentality and decided I prefer the real ones—if you manage to find one that's not quite dead, it does make the living room smell good—though I don't think less of people who have artificial trees.

My mom probably acquired her conviction about real trees from her dad; I do know that he insists that they have a real one in their house, even though it's a hassle for two old people. So it's the traditional excuse of familiarity again.

As for general house decoration, we too have boxes in the basement full of Christmas stuff. My mom has tons of Christmas things; it takes her a good solid day to get them all out and arranged around the house (of course, she also takes the opportunity to clean the house, because she's like that). This usually happens Thanksgiving weekend, as Friday is, of course, taken up with Christmas shopping.

Gah. She better not make me go shopping with her; I hate that day. ::rethinks plan of coming home before Thanksgiving... ::

[soltice.livejournal.com]

She better not make me go shopping with her; I hate that day. ::rethinks plan of coming home before Thanksgiving... ::

Now, now dear. You should place more value in your family. There were many things that we did together prior to college that I now miss. There were also a great many things prior to transition that we did together that I doubt I will ever experience again.

Maybe you should consider not moving back in with your parents. From my understanding, there isn't much for you to do there, and there isn't any potential for employment there either. Maybe you should instead try to find somewhere in the cities where you can move in with a friend and hold a job.
Besides, then you won't be so socially isolated.

[cosmolinguist]

Maybe you should consider not moving back in with your parents.

The idea has more than crossed my mind, believe me. For the good reasons you mention, and a few others.

Maybe you should instead try to find somewhere in the cities where you can move in with a friend and hold a job.

What, are you offering? :-) It's a good idea, actually, though living in the Cities seems a bit big and scary to me, but since I'm in a big city now perhaps I could handle that.

[soltice.livejournal.com]

Your comparing Minneapolis to London? You're daft, woman!

[cosmolinguist]

You think I'm in London?! And you say I'm daft?

[soltice.livejournal.com]

Okay, so I have no idea where you are. And it's a well known fact that I am, in fact, quite daft. So, meh.

[cosmolinguist]

It's okay, I'm just on the other side of England. Where people hate London. Pretty close. :-)

[cosmolinguist]

And I was kidding about rethinking coming back, really. I've missed my family, perverse as that seems. Being so far away has made me annoyingly wistful and sentimental about some really odd things. But my parents are good, and I love 'em, I just don't like crowds and shopping with my mom.

[soltice.livejournal.com]

I've noticed. Your entries have been less frequent and far more melancholy as of late.

[cosmolinguist]

Less frequent? I haven't been able to shut up.

I bet they've just been less memorable. :-)

Really, though, I've been talking about the news and baseball and words and abstract things like that because I have nothing in my personal life to talk about. Nothing happens.

[soltice.livejournal.com]

Then you should make something happen; do you really want to live with your parents forever?

[lyric-splat.livejournal.com]

I was disgusted that my mother caved in and bought a plastic tree while I was away in America. As far as I'm concerned she doesn't have the excuse of not wanting the hassle/mess, because along with the big plastic tree she also bought a ton of new icicle lights for the house that probably take twice as much effort to deal with. *shakes head*

It'll be weirder, too, because I've spent the last four Christmasses in Alaska. After Thanksgiving we'd all pile into the truck and drive out into the middle of nowhere; stumble through piles of snow while or eyelashes froze and argue for an hour or so over which tree to chop down. *grin* They were usually on the scrawny side or leaning slightly or something, but it kinda just gave them... character.

[cosmolinguist]

My parents succumbed to the icicle-light fad (it was a fad right? the first year we saw them, it was impossible for stores to even keep them in stock, so I suppose that counts) too, but the icicle lights just replaced the normal lights that go along the edge of our roof, and the outside lights have always been my dad's job. Usually he waits until the coldest Saturday in the fall to do it, too (I know; I used to help).

And I always liked Christmas trees that were on the scrawny side or leaned or something. You don't get such personality in fake trees, eh?

[gentleman-lech.livejournal.com]

Maybe I'm just spoiled, but when I want to smell real evergreens, I wander up into the mountains. I actually prefer artificial Christmas trees to the real ones (as house decorations, anyway).

[cosmolinguist]

Of course you're spoiled. Most people can't do that. :-)