: Christmas tidings :
It was a very fun weekend for me, and I'm happy that we were able to do so much and still get plenty of rest. Saturday I devoted myself to getting into the Christmas spirit. I'll admit I haven't been very festive yet this year, mostly due to physical ailments more than emotional. But I decided that it was time to cast off my cloak of indifference that I usually wear this time of year and allow myself to experience the changes that the rest of the world goes through this time of year.
So in the afternoon I went out to find a Christmas tree, my first artificial tree ever, actually. In my previous life, I grew up with an artificial tree, but once I started my own family we always had real trees at Christmas time. But I think now that it's wrong to support the business of treating living trees as disposable things. So we went to Fountains of Wayne, which is a famous Christmas store (and also a musical group that had a hit song called "Stacy's Mom") but they only sold really high end trees, pre-lit and all that. Plus they were all a bit larger than I wanted - even though my apartment is pretty large, it's laid out in such a way that the only place to put the tree doesn't have a lot of space for a wide tree. But we did go through the store's famous Christmas display, which I'd describe as the "It's a Small World" ride at Disney World, but without the boats.
Since we didn't get a tree, I got a stocking, a tree skirt and a cute Santa hat that I wore the rest of the day. When we went to the mall to look at Sears, but they only had a few trees and none that were suitable. They did have a large selection of wreaths though. We walked through the crowded mall to Macy's, but they didn't sell trees at all. We went back to Sears and I bought a really nice wreath for my door, and a hanger, so we didn't leave empty-handed. Finally, we went to Target and found a really nice tree that was slim enough to fit my needs. Plus it was also pre-lit, which makes things a lot easier.
Now, you're probably wondering "what about all the ornaments?" I have a very specific feeling about starting my own Christmas traditions, and one of them is that I want my tree to be built over time, using ornaments and decorations that mean something to me. To tell the truth, I really like the look of my tree with simple white lights on it that elegantly wink on and off. I think there is much beauty in the look of a tree that does not require much adornment to be appreciated. And I look at my tree as a symbol of where I am in my new life, and right now, I'd say that my life is all about the basics for the moment. There is so much yet to be learned, to be experienced and to be savored in life that's yet to come. I feel that my journey is only beginning, and I want the tree to reflect this tabula rasa state. As the years go by, I expect that I will collect things to hang on my tree, and it will serve as a yearly reminder of the things I've done, learned and experienced over time.
Sunday my family came over to my apartment and helped me set up the tree, which only took 15 minutes and looks really splendid. I also hung some of the colored Christmas lights on my fireplace mantle and around the patio doorframe and connected them all to a wireless switch, so I can turn them all on with a push of a button when I walk in the door.
Afterwards, we drove into New York and visited the Cloisters, which was especially decorated for Christmas, and none of us have ever seen it at Christmastime. As we strolled around we saw giant wreaths over the stone arch doors made from apples, hazelnuts, pinecones and berries. We saw decorative sheaves of wheat stalks bound with ivy and braided wheat, and garlands of laurel leaves draped in the chapel. Here are some pictures of the Cloisters - unfortunately since it was getting dark, I didn't have many good ones.
The best part was that there's a section of the Cloisters in the lower level called the Treasury that has been closed for renovation ever since we started going there this year. Well, yesterday it was open, and for the first time we were able to go in and see some of the most beautiful medieval objects, from ancient texts to vessels made from precious metals and stones. Unfortunately, I only spied that the Treasury was open at the very end, so we only had about 15 minutes to look before they started shooing us out as the museum was closing. Hopefully, the next time we go we will have more time to enjoy the artifacts at a leisurely pace.
In the evening we watched the holiday classic It's a Wonderful Life on DVD, and even though the story of George Bailey doesn't really align with our family's non-traditional values, it's still a really great movie. It's easy to get jaded about movies like this that are on year after year, but even though I've seen the movie countless times, I've never sat down and watched it intently from beginning to end, as is the usual custom in my family when we watch movies together. So I saw things in the movie, small details that I'd never noticed before that added to the overall impact (e.g. Zuzu's flower petals).
So as I said, a very fun weekend, and I might have some more pictures to post later.
So in the afternoon I went out to find a Christmas tree, my first artificial tree ever, actually. In my previous life, I grew up with an artificial tree, but once I started my own family we always had real trees at Christmas time. But I think now that it's wrong to support the business of treating living trees as disposable things. So we went to Fountains of Wayne, which is a famous Christmas store (and also a musical group that had a hit song called "Stacy's Mom") but they only sold really high end trees, pre-lit and all that. Plus they were all a bit larger than I wanted - even though my apartment is pretty large, it's laid out in such a way that the only place to put the tree doesn't have a lot of space for a wide tree. But we did go through the store's famous Christmas display, which I'd describe as the "It's a Small World" ride at Disney World, but without the boats.
Since we didn't get a tree, I got a stocking, a tree skirt and a cute Santa hat that I wore the rest of the day. When we went to the mall to look at Sears, but they only had a few trees and none that were suitable. They did have a large selection of wreaths though. We walked through the crowded mall to Macy's, but they didn't sell trees at all. We went back to Sears and I bought a really nice wreath for my door, and a hanger, so we didn't leave empty-handed. Finally, we went to Target and found a really nice tree that was slim enough to fit my needs. Plus it was also pre-lit, which makes things a lot easier.
Now, you're probably wondering "what about all the ornaments?" I have a very specific feeling about starting my own Christmas traditions, and one of them is that I want my tree to be built over time, using ornaments and decorations that mean something to me. To tell the truth, I really like the look of my tree with simple white lights on it that elegantly wink on and off. I think there is much beauty in the look of a tree that does not require much adornment to be appreciated. And I look at my tree as a symbol of where I am in my new life, and right now, I'd say that my life is all about the basics for the moment. There is so much yet to be learned, to be experienced and to be savored in life that's yet to come. I feel that my journey is only beginning, and I want the tree to reflect this tabula rasa state. As the years go by, I expect that I will collect things to hang on my tree, and it will serve as a yearly reminder of the things I've done, learned and experienced over time.
Sunday my family came over to my apartment and helped me set up the tree, which only took 15 minutes and looks really splendid. I also hung some of the colored Christmas lights on my fireplace mantle and around the patio doorframe and connected them all to a wireless switch, so I can turn them all on with a push of a button when I walk in the door.
Afterwards, we drove into New York and visited the Cloisters, which was especially decorated for Christmas, and none of us have ever seen it at Christmastime. As we strolled around we saw giant wreaths over the stone arch doors made from apples, hazelnuts, pinecones and berries. We saw decorative sheaves of wheat stalks bound with ivy and braided wheat, and garlands of laurel leaves draped in the chapel. Here are some pictures of the Cloisters - unfortunately since it was getting dark, I didn't have many good ones.
The best part was that there's a section of the Cloisters in the lower level called the Treasury that has been closed for renovation ever since we started going there this year. Well, yesterday it was open, and for the first time we were able to go in and see some of the most beautiful medieval objects, from ancient texts to vessels made from precious metals and stones. Unfortunately, I only spied that the Treasury was open at the very end, so we only had about 15 minutes to look before they started shooing us out as the museum was closing. Hopefully, the next time we go we will have more time to enjoy the artifacts at a leisurely pace.
In the evening we watched the holiday classic It's a Wonderful Life on DVD, and even though the story of George Bailey doesn't really align with our family's non-traditional values, it's still a really great movie. It's easy to get jaded about movies like this that are on year after year, but even though I've seen the movie countless times, I've never sat down and watched it intently from beginning to end, as is the usual custom in my family when we watch movies together. So I saw things in the movie, small details that I'd never noticed before that added to the overall impact (e.g. Zuzu's flower petals).
So as I said, a very fun weekend, and I might have some more pictures to post later.
