Christmas Tree Decorating: A Sport for the Strong-Backed and Slightly Unhinged
- Sue Leonard
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
Christmas Tree Decorating: A Sport for the Strong-Backed and Slightly Unhinged
I decorated two Christmas trees this week. Two. At my age, that practically qualifies me for an Olympic event, a trip to the back doctor, or the psychiatrist.
On Wednesday, the building residents decorated the lobby/patio tree. You know the old saying, “Too many cooks spoil the broth?” Well, too many decorators can turn a perfectly innocent tree into a group therapy session. Compared to our old building’s second-floor crew—who once took two days and nearly came to blows hanging garlands—this building decorating was practically a love-in.
The result? Our building tree is gorgeous. It has a mix of styles, and one of our residents even made rhinestone-covered balls with everyone’s name on them. (Nothing says “holiday spirit” like seeing your name in rhinestones.) Everything is plastic or non-breakable, which is a good thing for an outdoor tree when Gulf breezes can turn into hurricanes.
My Personal Tree: Fancy Meets Critter
I used to have two trees at home: A fancy tree and a “critter tree,” decorated with animals A–Z.
Some letters were overflowing—M had Mouse, Moose, and Manatee—but others were sparse. I had to have custom ornaments made for I (Iguana) and X (X-ray tetra). Honestly, the X-ray tetra ornament turned out better than I had any right to expect. By the way, a critter tree is a great way to entertain kids. Give them a sheet of paper and have them find a critter for each letter of the alphabet.
This year, because of our recent move, I downsized. I parted with a whole storage box of ornaments. With my trees, each ornament had a memory and I felt like I was saying goodbye to old friends. But there comes a time in our life when we have let go of many things.
Now my tree is a combo tree: fancy crystal and gold stars mingling with hedgehogs, zebras. I worried it would look confused—like it couldn’t decide whether it was attending the symphony or a petting zoo—but honestly, it turned out better than expected.
I have friends with even more specific themes. One friend used to have a Star Wars tree. (Nothing says “Silent Night” like Darth Vader breathing through your living room.) My niece—whose sons went to Georgia Tech—decorates hers in red, white, and black ornaments.…which is festive but also a little unsettling if you walk by it in the dark.
A Decorating Marathon
A friend came to help me decorate this year. She pointed out how much I smiled every time I picked up an ornament with a memory attached—like the ones my grandma crocheted, the ones my mom embroidered, and the ones I cross-stitched.
All-in-all it took me 11–12 hours. And that’s including my newly invented tree-fluffing technique: fluff each segment before stacking them. Much easier, you can see what you are doing. Revolutionary. I may file a patent.
By 6:40 PM, I had been at it for five hours straight, and my back was sending up flare signals. When we walked to dinner, every step felt like my spine was quoting Shakespeare: “I can no further crawl…”
How will the cat react?
Thank heavens Patsy, our new cat, was only mildly interested in the ornaments. She sniffed a few things and then selected exactly one ornament to chew: a corn silk angel my aunt brought home from Bangladesh. Of course. Out of all the ornaments, she chose the sentimental, international heirloom.
The Case of the Missing Red Pillows
Every year, decorating brings back memories—sweet, funny, and occasionally ridiculous.
Case in point: the red velour pillows.
Four years ago, I made beautiful red pillows for the couch. The next year? Gone. The year after? Still gone. For two more years, they were missing. Every Christmas, my friend Carol (a fellow seamstress) and I would wonder, Where on earth could I have put two bright red 18-inch pillows? How do you accidentally toss or donate something that big and red?
When we moved, I found them—in a plastic bag under the bed. The one place I never thought to look.
This year, pulling them out brought a bittersweet moment. Carol passed away too soon from bile duct cancer. I wish she were here to see that the pillows finally resurfaced. She would have said, “I told you they’d turn up somewhere ridiculous.”
How long will it last?
Decorating gets harder each year, yes. The bending, stretching, up-and-down—it’s a full-body workout. But the memories? The feeling of sitting down afterward and turning on the lights? Worth every ache.
I don’t know how much longer I’ll be decorating a “big” tree, so I’d better enjoy my trees while I can still muster the energy, the desire, and the balance—and while my back is still willing to negotiate.
Do you still decorate a tree? What are your favorite ornaments?
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For your enjoyment, here’s a LINK to Christmas Tree Pictures: Chicago Prudential Building Lobby, the building tree, my tree, and the tree from our Clubhouse Lobbies.