A Tale of Two Trees

A Tale of Two Trees

I love Christmas and I love Christmas trees. I have three in my house right now. In thinking about Christmas trees and family, I realized that I was inspired and influenced by my Grandma McKinnon's decorating style this year...which is a flocked tree with a color scheme. I love a flocked tree!! We had one or two growing up, and I loved them, but this is my very first one as an adult.

My Grandma  McKinnon had a flocked tree every year and every year she would change things up by having a different color scheme. She would pick a color and then everything on the tree would be that color...lights, ornaments, bows etc. One year it would be red, the next year blue, then green, or pink, or gold. My favorite trees were the blue theme or the pink theme. It thought they were the prettiest trees and the most glamorous. I had to laugh this year when I realized I had gone with a white and silver theme. I thought that I would put all my regular ornaments on the tree but once I started decorating I realized I liked the frosty silvery look and my family agreed. It was kind of fun to switch things up this year.

My Grandma Ellersick, on the other hand, had a completely different style. Having grown up out at the lake and living in Northern Idaho, she and her family would hike into the woods, find the perfect tree, chop it down, and bring it home. Ornaments were minimal... if any...maybe some icicles and that was it. My grandma preferred a fresh cut green tree with green lights. The end. I would say in the last 25 years she didn't even add one ornament, just the plain tree and green lights. It's always had its own kind of simple beauty. I like it just as much as my other grandma's fancy trees. Every year when we put up our tree and it just has it's lights on I think...that looks nice just as it is...but then we go ahead and decorate it anyway and I love that too. Once day when I have more room for more trees there will be some plain trees with just lights...and a green tree with green lights. A tree in every room I say!!

I love the family traditions that we are influenced by, especially during the holidays, even if we aren't aware of it at the time...in the kinds of trees we pick, the ornaments we hang, the stockings Santa fills, the festive foods we eat, the books we read, the Christmas music we listen to, the service we give, and the things that we do as a family that make the holidays extra special. In talking to Reilly this year and just asking her casual questions I have been pleasantly surprised to find that our family traditions are deeply rooted and that she is sharing them with those around her. I am happy to see that even though she is about to leave home and make her own way in the world...she will always a be a Johnson/McClellan/McKinnon/Ellersick at heart and that means a lot.