Real Family, Fake Tree

I almost didn't post an image of our tree because I was feeling a bit inferior, having spent the last few days looking through Christmas magazines and blogs. Everyone seems to have a "designer tree", one with a theme or color scheme. I thought perhaps no one would be interested in seeing ours, filled with ornaments and memoribalia collected over the years. But guess what? Ours is a 20-year-old artificial tree which sheds a million synthetic needles each time its erected, but still looks good. And ours is a real family that just wants to relax and have fun at Christmastime! 

Our gifts are wrapped with inexpensive mix-and-match (although color coordinated) papers, recycled or homemade ribbons and bows, reclaimed department-store and mail-order tissue papers, gift tags that came free in a Vineyard Vines catalog, and re-used gift bags with the store name covered by stickers!

Since we rarely send out cards anymore, we don't get many. So each year we save a few of our favorites to round out the mantel display. And a few fall off each time the French doors are opened or closed if there's a fire in the fireplace, so they're always in disarray. But they remind us of dear friends and Christmases past.

I would've loved to impress you, but it just doesn't mean that much to me. In the words of Oscar Wilde:

"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."

I hope you enjoy your holiday in your own special way without feeling obligated to comply with someone else's expectations!