A Tree For All Reasons
By: Regina McNamara
What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more? Dr Suess.
In our house, we put up a freshly cut fresh Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. My husband Tom and I have dozens of ornaments from years passed, many with lovely memories. However, he cannot wait to take it down once Christmas has passed. I, on the other hand would leave it up all year if that was possible. We usually compromise by taking it down in late January. Fortunately, Tom has clean up responsibility.
But the appeal of a Christmas tree is unmistakable… it recalls fond memories, creates new ones and brightens a room. This is why I find it so difficult to take it down. ever..Long after the floor is covered with 10,000 pine needles.
The logical next question is. For those who enjoy artificial tress at Christmas, WHY DON’T THEY JUST KEEP THEM UP ALL YEAR????
Last Christmas, my mother, who had Alzheimer’s was still living with her caregiver in the house in which we were all raised. Our children spent many Christmases there. We assembled and decorated her tree, a truly lovely large artificial one and filled it with decades of cherished ornaments. The tree completely filled the corner of the room in which she spent her days. She loved looking at it and talking about past Christmases.
But when it was time to take to down my mother said. “It’s so beautiful. Why does it need to come down??“ Why indeed ?…
Along came February and we thought, maybe, just maybe there is another use for it. We decided it would be a tree for all seasons. A celebration tree. There are, after all, so many reasons to celebrate. Since her 85th birthday was coming up in March we decided to create a Birthday Tree.
We arranged pictures of all family members, including dogs, on the tree. All children, their spouses/partners, grandchildren and spouses, great grandchildren… all would find a spot on the tree. We attached each picture with each name clearly labeled in large letters to make it easy for my mother to read and recall names. We used gift bags stuffed with tissue paper to make the pictures stand out. For the birthday tree, we added festive glittery garland and balloons.
Since my mother and her visitors so enjoyed looking at the pictures on the tree, we left the pictures but changed decorations for the season. Easter, Memorial Day, Fourth of July (including Canadian flags in honor of our Canadian family)
When my mother’s condition caused her to decline, that room became her 24-hour home, with her hospital bed and supplies. The hospice staff enjoyed the tree as well.
The tree remained in place until she went to heaven on July 6. But it remains in our memory. And the idea, we believe should live on.
We have shared our seasonal tree idea with our clients and we re decorate their tabletop trees for all holidays. They enjoy seeing Halloween and Thanksgiving décor on the tress with of course the major holidays still to come. Since our staff are regular shoppers at Dollar Stores, this is an inexpensive way to bring joy to our elderly clients.
We have since seen these trees in elder care facilities and are truly proud of the tradition that began with one special person's reluctance to take her beautiful tree down simply because Christmas season had ended!
Please DO try this at home, the results are guaranteed to increase happiness, and give seniors a small source of enjoyment with each new reason to decorate their celebration tree. ■