Jun. 13, 2002 - 19:03 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

The Past Lane

As many, many trees go up in leaping flames in our present day forests I flee to childhood once again. Our Christmas tree came fresh from nearby mountains then, not shipped in from the upper midwest. When brought in the house in a short time the pine scent would permeate everything. I remember one year of sewing popcorn on a stout thread to make garlands for the school Christmas tree. I also remember those of us in the fifth grade were the tinsel stringers. A quick way to get off that joyful task was to throw a clot of lead foil tinsel at the tree. One string at a time was the hard and fast rule.

We had one garland for our tree at home made of bits of candy. The first time we had it I was surprised that I wasn't allowed to eat the candy after Christmas. After a few years it got sort of grody and Mama threw it out, I rode around in a four wheeled purple snit for a day or two because I felt I had earned the privilege to eat it after I had waited so patiently.

Ornaments back then were fragile blown glass things, almost weightless. Ornate, intricate and beautifully colored. Heather and I still have some ornaments passed down from our parents which are beginning to lose luster and fade, but still pretty with halos of happy times past.

Times change, popcorn and candy garlands are passe I guess. If I had seen a flocked tree when young it would have made me wonder who would ever spoil an evergreen Christmas tree ?

I remember one year when our youngest child, a girl, was growing up, a late pre-teen or early teen type. We had an eight foot tree which went well in our front room which had a vaulted ceiling, I guess it would be called. Heather and the girl did the necessary shopping and combined with what we had they came up with a beautiful, old fashioned tree. Exquisite it was, even had old fashioned tinsel that our girl chased down and persuaded the owner to give it to her. No heavy ornaments that weigh branches down, we still had the blown glass colored spire with the reflective facets that came from my childhood tree to top it with.

Our daughter is the girl who would go shopping in the used clothing shops and come up with hats from my Mother's era and other dated clothing and with a few tricks would come out looking great, unique and the envy of her classmates. She is the one who would listen to Heather and I tell the history of each ornament on the tree. There were a few cheapies such as they were from the depression days, the old European beauties out shining them -- but along the way growing up ornaments did get broken and more ornaments were bought with squirreled away money. Each one had a bit of family history associated with it and with happiness Heather and I told the stories to a sparkling, attentive young girl.

Her boy is twelve years old now and his sister three or four years younger. There is an established family set of traditions all of their own which they polish up and sometimes add new ones here and there -- all to the good of course.

Like in the Family Circle the other day, this Grandpa joyfully lives in The Past Lane . . . . . . . .

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