\n| The 2015 Tree<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
<\/span>December 1st, we picked up a Christmas tree from Lowe\u2019s. It was the most beautiful tree we\u2019ve ever had, with last year\u2019s coming in as a close second. It stood a little over six feet tall, perfectly formed, with no bare or uneven spots. Even the gal behind us at the checkout station expressed her pleasure with it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThat is a gorgeous tree. Absolutely gorgeous! Congratulations!\u201d\u00a0<\/div>\n <\/div>\n I thanked her and felt like saying \u201cThere are more just like it back there!\u201d But I held my tongue, wondering why she had chosen a Charlie Brown tree.\u00a0<\/div>\n <\/div>\n She knows what she\u2019s doing, Brenda \u2026<\/i><\/div>\n
<\/i><\/div>\nWell we brought the lush, beautiful tree home. Shaun perched it just right in a tree base, watered it, and went to work. I couldn\u2019t wait to string popcorn and cranberries. But second thoughts came.\u00a0<\/div>\n <\/div>\n Natural, homemade garlands are pretty but also time consuming, and I\u2019d been reading about Mary and Martha. I\u2019ve always seen a little of myself in both women, and so I thought through the Scripture, considered my Christmas to-do list, and gave myself permission to string and hang the garland. I was pretty sure I could do it without becoming a crabby patty about getting everything else done.\u00a0<\/div>\n <\/div>\n But first, I decided to make a quick, 4 1\/2 minute video to put on the blog. Because of my reading on Mary and Martha, I\u2019d thought through the frustrating issues that often stem from hospitality during the holidays and I wanted to share a few ways ladies could keep from being cra-cra throughout the Christmas season.\u00a0<\/div>\n <\/div>\n So! Made the video, and talked about the problem of perfectionism, not giving into it, and keeping our eyes on Christ. Problem was, I was feeling rather challenged at my own message because as I went to prepare the popcorn for the garland, I found it was buttered and \u2026 who wants yellow, greasy popcorn all over their tree?\u00a0<\/div>\n <\/div>\n Perfectionism? What perfectionism?\u00a0<\/div>\n <\/div>\n I scolded myself a bit.\u00a0<\/div>\n <\/div>\n Just use buttered. Nobody\u2019s going to notice.\u00a0<\/i><\/div>\n<\/div>\n So I popped the popcorn in the microwave \u2026 and burned it.\u00a0<\/div>\n <\/div>\n Nice, Brenda. After 27 years of marriage, you can\u2019t successfully pop popcorn. \u00a0<\/i><\/div>\n<\/div>\n I talked about that little popcorn mishap in the video. Then my dog started yipping loudly while the tape rolled, making it hard for me to be serious and concentrate on my message. Turned out my video wouldn\u2019t be so perfect either. And then when I tried to upload the video to YouTube, making it easier to embed on the blog, it wouldn\u2019t load.\u00a0<\/div>\n <\/div>\n And then<\/i>? My tree died. I worked a total of five hours on the homemade garland, another hour and a half on the remaining decor, and three days later,\u00a0Tada!\u00a0<\/i><\/b>My very own Charlie Brown tree, only taller.\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/div>\n I\u2019ve seen this before. It\u2019s called preach a message, live a message. God\u2019s way of making sure I don\u2019t just talk Christ. I live Christ.\u00a0<\/div>\n <\/div>\n Fast forward to today. I\u2019m sitting here with a nasty of all nasties chest and head cold, staring through constantly watering eyes at my dead Christmas tree. The bottom third is sagging. The garland and all the ornaments droop like Eeyore ears. There\u2019s no room for gifts because the sad branches drag on the floor. When you touch it, it crunches. It\u2019s a fire hazard, really.\u00a0<\/div>\n <\/div>\n Why did it die? Shaun used a different base than he did last year, and it turns out it can\u2019t hold enough water to feed it adequately. We thought we\u2019d have to water it every four days or so, when in reality, it needs watered once a day. But too late. You cannot revive a dead tree that you were trying to trick into thinking it wasn\u2019t dead in the first place.\u00a0<\/div>\n <\/div>\n Why isn\u2019t so important. What is important is that I have a tree in the throes of rigor mortis and I am hosting Christmas this year. Back when I was a newlywed, I would\u2019ve taken down all the ornaments, stripped it of it\u2019s garland and lights and started fresh.\u00a0<\/div>\n <\/div>\n We can\u2019t host Christmas without a (perfect!) tree!!\u00a0<\/i><\/div>\n
<\/i><\/div>\nMaybe these things don\u2019t matter as much as you age. Maybe I\u2019m just ill and can\u2019t muster up any strength to start fresh. But as my tree pathetically leans toward me, I want to lean toward focusing on the Reason for the Season. Not freaking about domestic details. The hardness of life and the truth of God\u2019s Word have a way of convincing you to take His yoke. The way that makes the hard easy, the burden light.<\/div>\n <\/div>\n Practically, what does that mean for my tree? For me?<\/div>\n <\/div>\n ![](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/757\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/-0Zo6LRfwDtk\/VnskgzlUq1I\/AAAAAAAAA3U\/rLMJpbty_F07wsjGBxhlVLPkJ4fhi2P8QCPcB\/s320\/Cmas2015-3.jpg\") <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n Not sure. It may mean we take the dead tree down and settle with the tiny faux tree on the top of the library bookcase. It may mean we celebrate around a crunchy Christmas tree. It may mean our \u201ctree\u201d will be constructed out of gifts (hello, Pinterest?), and we will dwindle the \u201ctree\u201d down to nothing as we open gifts. That sounds fun. What it\u00a0 doesn\u2019t<\/i>\u00a0mean is fretting about domestic details until I\u2019m frazzled with a cranky countenance.\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Ultimately, I hope it means by God\u2019s grace, I\u2019ll be a Mary, and choose the one thing that is needed, the good portion, which will not be taken away (Luke 10:42). That is, Jesus.\u00a0<\/div>\n <\/div>\n How \u2019bout you? Are you having an easy Christmas season where everything is falling into place as it should? Or are you frantic and stressed with a countenance that reflects that stress?\u00a0<\/div>\n <\/div>\n It\u2019s possible to have a discordant disposition no matter what our circumstances. Or a Christ-like countenance no matter what our circumstance. My prayer is that we fall into the latter category, knowing full well that to \u201cfall\u201d there is not a fall at all, but a life-long journey of ups and downs. Set backs and victories. And much discipline and intentional determination to do the next thing<\/i>.\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/div>\n It\u2019s direction. Not perfection.\u00a0<\/div>\n <\/div>\n As for Christmas Day, the tree, the meal, the gift wrap, and every little preparatory thing that goes into celebrating Jesus\u2019 birthday \u2026 work hard, then relax.\u00a0<\/div>\n <\/div>\n Que Sera Sera.<\/i>\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Whatever will be, will be.\u00a0<\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The 2015 Tree December 1st, we picked up a Christmas tree from Lowe\u2019s. It was the most beautiful tree we\u2019ve ever had, with last year\u2019s coming in as a close second. It stood a little over six feet tall, perfectly formed, with no bare or uneven spots. Even the gal behind us at the checkout […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2920,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n O Crunchy Tree, O Crunchy Tree<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The 2015 TreeDecember 1st, we picked up a Christmas tree from Lowe's. 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<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n