On Trees, Boxes, and Heroes

It’s November 17th and we’ve decorated for Christmas. 

I like Christmas.  The music and the colours and the general happier feeling in my little area of the world.  People start giving a little more, caring more, they are more likely to take part in a random act of kindness or even just smile in a strangers direction.

So personally, I like to start a little early.  This is probably the earliest I’ve ever decorated, but I stand by my decision.

We put out the nativities (yes, I have several.  Move along) and hung the advents and switched out fall runners for red and green ones.

And then it came time for the trees (yes, I have 2.  Move along).

I pulled them out of the storage room and snapped them together.  The one is looking a little worse for wear, it’s over 12 years old now and on it’s 3rd house.  It’s was cheap and on sale when I bought it and it shows.  Branches fall off every year and it looks more than a little sparse.

The kids brought up the box of decorations and we placed them beside the tree.  And then the moment came when they wanted to know when we will decorate it.

Because as has been the case many years, Dh is not here to see the house transform.

But other years, other years we knew when he was coming back, and even though it meant sometimes it waited for just days before the big day, we didn’t decorate the family tree until he was here.

 But this year, this year his blackberry says different things each day.  This year it’s not clear or obvious or even a little bit for sure.

This year, he might make it home December 25th, and he might not.

And though the speculation and the unknown is my least favorite part of this job, there is a certainty in Christmas that remains.

It will come when it comes.  And the Truth that it will remind me of will never change.

And this tree, it is going to sit like this, with a box next to it, until our hero is here to decorate it with us.

And if that’s early December or early February or anywhere in between, it won’t be any less magical. 

Christmas is just a date on the calender, friends, but I’m glad to see it come each time. 

Whatever or whoever it brings to our home, it’s all about Who it brought.

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