gather round the yule tree

i really can't believe that christmas is less than two weeks away, and solstice, just around the bend. i'm not sure what happened to the time between now. . . and september. suffice it to say, i'm really not prepared. i wanted to make by hand a lot of gifts, but as it stands, i'll be lucky to complete one project.



we did manage to cut down our tree this past weekend at the same farm we visited last year. there were many perfect but tiny fir trees, and it seemed that all the other trees were short and fat and lopsided. but we managed to find the only one (i'm certain) that was tallish, and fat and fairly symmetrical. this year we have a white pine.







it is a beautiful presence now in our living room, sparkly with lights. we are slowly getting the ornaments up, savoring the delights. tristan is equally fascinated and irritated by the tree. he looks at it and is consumed with temptation to pull each sparkling thing off to be tested against his gums.



yesterday as i was hanging lights on the tree i overheard tashi explaining christmas to tristan. at one point she looked up at me and mentioned how fun it was to share this with him. my heart exploded. it really is amazing that this christmas we are a family of four, that tashi has a sibling to share the rituals with.



i hope that amongst the frenzy and anticipation you find a few calm moments to focus on the light that this season celebrates.