The Lighting of the Tree

 Tonight was the lighting of the tree.  Well, maybe not the lighting of THE tree, but the lighting of our tree.  

Decorating for Christmas is one of those things that I always dread-love.  Pulling out the boxes of ornaments and trees and twisted strands of lights from storage is the dread part.  Seeing it all after it has come together...that is the love. 

I especially love the ornaments.  It's an annual life-flashing-before-your-eyes event.  It is a flashback of  family history as I pull out the "First Christmas Together 1989" ornament or the one that says "Baby's First Christmas" or a snowman from 15 years ago that has everyone's name written on it.  

Thirty-one years.  Thirty-one Christmases together.  Spanning our years without kids to years with babies to years with teenagers to years without kids again to now our second year with a grandchild!  

A very personal touch to our family tree is the many ornaments The Wife has made.  Often over the years she's started crafting some of them even in the middle of the summer.  There must be dozens of them now and they are the heart of our tree.  

So, tonight as I searched the tree for the perfect branch for each of The Wife's ornaments, I was reminded of the depth of our connection.  Our lives are as intertwined as one of those strand of tree lights that was packed down deep at the bottom of the box.  I was reminded of how beautiful and reassuring and satisfying it is to be blessed with over three decades together in love.  Each of those thirty-one Christmases is surrounded by another 364 days.  Most of those days have been some level of bliss, but, of course, we've had a few challenges along the way.  Those challenges we have met together and the power of two-greater-than-one hasn't let us down yet.

On this year's lighting of the tree, I am even more hopeful for our future because I've been reminded of our past.  To The Wife I say "thank you".  Thank you for making these ornaments.  Thank you for our history.  Thank you for our future.  You complete me.  (Yes, "Jerry Maguire" is on TBS right now, but it's still true).

Merry Christmas, everyone.  May lighting your tree and this holiday season bring you peace and joy and, most of all, love.