The Easter Tree

In January of 2019 I was forced to recalibrate my Christmas tree game.

As in, while decorating our seven-foot pencil tree for Christmas of 2018, I declared that it was the last time I would have that tree in my house.

We'd used it since 2002 and it was shot.

So it was that on the day after Christmas, I de-ornamented the tree and pitched it out. I told myself I had eleven months before I had to think about replacing the tree, and summarily forgot about the whole thing.

For the last several years the tree had dominated our sun room, where it had plenty of space to breathe and accommodate gifts, but could be seen from the adjacent TV room.

That had worked out great.

And then, this past July, I acquired Sweetness the Tuxedo cat.

Sweetness is confined to the sun room; she can peer through French doors into the TV room if she feels like seeing all that she's missing.

She also has a three-story enclosure with several shelves which hold her various beds and her food and water dishes, to live in when she's not allowed to roam free.

(Don't worry; i spend a lot of time in that room, and with her. She loves lounging in my lap.)

But I feared that there was no way for a cat (well -- THAT cat) and a Christmas tree to live together in the same room, without the Christmas tree and its delicate ornaments being in perpetual peril.

That meant that this past Christmas, I planned to move the tree (the one I didn't yet have) back to the front room, where for years it had been placed before I decided to move it to the sun room.

(I see your eyes glazing over. Stay with me.)

The disadvantage of setting up the Christmas tree in the front room is that people have to -- on purpose -- walk into that room in order to enjoy the tree.

(Since that room functions as my photography studio and tutoring studio and office, the tree wouldn't be seen very often by very many.)

(We don't use our front door to enter the house, as a rule; it's an entrance for my students and for non-family company. And we don't often have non-family company.)

But I had no choice. It was there or nowhere. 

I decided that we'd place the tree into the space between my two Caribbean-blue velvet armless sofas, which face each other in the front window from which my tree and its festive lights would shine out into the street.

All that was left was to locate a new Christmas tree.

It turned out to be a relatively simple process; we found one at Big Lots and it was on sale and it was pre-lit, which I'd never had before, and which I like although I know they are notoriously unreliable after the first year.

I moved my armless sofas so as to leave enough room for the tree, the height of which was augmented by placing it on a wooden platform that TG painted black.

I placed my antique reclaimed-wood box that serves as a coffee table, off to the side of one of the sofas.

TG set the pre-lit pencil tree up for me. It took all of five minutes.

And wow, I said, is that ever skinny.

(My previous tree had been a pencil tree but compared to this tree, it was one of those chubby pencils some of us used in grade school.)

But I liked my new tree and I decorated it with ease (it holds fewer ornaments and I was fine with that).

It needed additional lights because I like lots of lights. Adding them was a simple matter.

I don't remember when I arrived at the decision to keep my tree up throughout 2020; I'm pretty sure it was during the Christmas season itself. 

(Normally I'm on a mission to strip the house of everything Christmasy immediately after the Big Day.)

I do remember that it was our Erica who urged me to leave the tree up and decorate it for the seasons.

She has a darling (more folksy, rustic) tree in the corner of her dining room, beside her hutch. It's left up year-round and decorated for the various holidays. Siri turns the lights on each evening.

(It's separate from Chad and Erica's Christmas tree, which goes in their front room.)

I took Erica's suggestion seriously and started planning what I would do with my tree when it was time to divest it of its Christmas decorations.

It already sported blue lights (with the white pre-lits) and frosty blue ribbon interspersed amongst the branches, as well as a big blue bow at the top.

So I located a quantity of real glass "icicles" on Amazon, and decorated the tree with those, all wintry-like, for the month of January. 

I admit that in February, I failed to get the tree decked out for Valentine's Day. I tried but then ran out of time. I guess you could say my heart wasn't in it.

In March, I removed the icicles and added green lights. For St. Patrick's Day.

And that's as far as I got because as we all know, March was fraught with drama, plus a trip and three birthdays, one of which was mine. If I do this again next year, perhaps there will be shamrocks.

Before everything melted down due to Coronavirus, TG had taken me to Hobby Lobby where I purchased all the wide-width wire-edged ribbon I would need to take my tree through to autumn.

I chose purple for April and Easter, and pink for May and Mother's Day.

I picked out a rustic red ticking-stripe ribbon to add to my tree for the summer and patriotic holidays. 

As March waned, I knew that what I needed next was pastel-colored spring lights. You know; for my Easter and Mother's Day tree. 

I ordered some fairy lights from Amazon, that I throught fit that description.

Only, they arrived and they were not pastel colors. They were multicolored Christmas lights.

I ordered two strands of string lights that really WERE pastel, but on white cord.

Only, they arrived and one, I hadn't bought enough of them (only thirty-five lights per strand for a total of seventy and that's skimping and I don't skimp when it comes to lights) and two, I didn't like the look of the white cord on my tree.

I know I know I KNOW! It was all my fault! I wasn't thinking clearly.

I put those lights to use elsewhere (so it's all good) and found more pastel fairy lights on Amazon. I believed these would be the ticket.

And they were. They're pink and purple and yellow and green and blue and they shine brightly and, when combined on the tree with bits of purple ribbon and Easter egg ornaments and some white metal bird ornaments, bring to life my Easter tree.

I finished decorating it yesterday.

We are officially decorated for Easter; the bunnies are on the tables and pastel-colored lights glow here and there.

I cried today when I realized there was no chance we would be able to gather at church on Easter, and all be together to celebrate Resurrection Sunday.

I'm hopeful that instead, we are able to gather at home to watch the service online, then have a resplendent Easter meal together.

Even now we have so much to be grateful for -- not least that so far, we are all well.

I know that is not true for everyone, but I hope it is true for you and yours.

And that is all for now.

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Happy Wednesday :: Happy April

Comments

[Mari]

You did good!
I'm barely decorated for Spring, much less Easter. I really need to get at it. I've done some but I'm not done.
I'm sad we won't be able to go to church for Easter, or gather as a family (especially when this year I'm not on call that weekend!), but you are right. We are so blessed to be able to watch the service on line and that we are healthy.

[Jane]

The tree is beautiful, a very nice symbol of hope that next year churches will be open and families will be allowed to gather together again.
My sister-in-law has a in-home daycare and she has two seasonal trees-one normal and one black for Halloween. I like the idea of it but my cats would destroy them.

[Judy]

You are lucky you can get together at all.
We are in a quarantine.
Whomever was in the house when this all started, have to stay in the house. No one else can enter and we can't go out to visit another's house.
I have a one month old great grandson I haven't seen and I haven't seen most of the grandchildren since Christmas.
Kids and young adults can have The Virus without showing any or only mild symptoms and give it to Grandma.
So, here I am. All alone. Staying in my home. Which really doesn't bother me because that's kind of my normal life. HAH!
Your seasonal tree is very pretty.

[Jennifer]

@Mari ... I'm surprised you've had time to do anything, as busy as you are at work. I'm sorry you won't be able to see your family for Easter. I hope to drop by your blog today or tomorrow; sorry I've been AWOL. I'm a mite paralyzed with all of the news. I should stop watching and enjoy life more. Love you xoxo

@Jane ... thanks for the link you gave me; I'll be catching up with your goings-on soon. Miss you. Happy Easter to you and Janna and Warren and the precious kitty cats xoxo

@Judy ... I'm sorry you can't get together with all of your peeps. This too shall pass. I hope you've had a chance to watch our live streaming services. They've been so good. Happy Easter to you my friend. xoxo

[Barb]

I was just thinking yesterday when I saw my antique sled and winter wreath still on the front porch that I should probably have Bob put it away. That tells you something about my seasonal decorating... Your tree is very festive and if any of my grandkids saw it, they would be smitten. I think I told you previously that I collect bunnies (craft ones, not real ones), so they're always on display. That's my spring decorating in a nutshell! We continue to isolate here in CO and haven't seen family in over a month. Happy Easter to you and your family, Jenny. Stay well.

[Jennifer]

@Barb ... I do know of your bunny collection and when I put mine out I thought of you! As always, you were thought of with great affection. I hope you and Bob are well too, and that soon this will all be a strange memory. Happy Easter to you! xoxo