Every year, before Christmas, my husband and I erect two trees: a Christmas tree and a ‘food’ tree.
The Christmas tree, standing at 7 feet, is placed in the family room at the front of the house, where it can be enjoyed by all, including those driving by. It’s filled with ornaments that were given to us by our parents, as well as some given as gifts, reflecting life’s milestones, like marriage and buying our first home.
It’s the tree that welcomes visitors as they walk into our house. “The tree looks beautiful,” they exclaim. “You did a nice job decorating it.”
It’s the tree that we often have to discourage our cat, Sherbert, from climbing, with the occasional “get out of there,” or “knock it off!”
It’s the tree that we rush to on Christmas morning to see what Santa left for us the night before, and that typically gets the most attention. While I enjoy it immensely, it is not the tree that is part of one of my favorite Christmas traditions with my husband. That’s where the ‘food’ tree comes in.
The ‘food’ tree, standing at 3 feet, is displayed in the corner of our dining room, partially hidden by the dining room table when entering the house. It’s the first tree that my husband and I bought together, before we had a place of our own.
Growing up, I pictured how I would decorate my home for Christmas. That picture almost always included a ‘food’ tree, or a tree with food-related decorations, in the kitchen, as this girl likes to eat.
When purchasing the tree, my husband and I understood that it would become the ‘food’ tree once we had our own home, but with a twist. We decided that, each year, we would add a food ornament that reflected that year together.
Our first ornament depicts fish being cooked in a skillet, which memorializes our first date, where we went fishing, and later cooked and ate the fish that we caught.
Our fourth ornament is a croissant, which is one of the foods that we shared while honeymooning in Ireland.
Our fifth ornament is a pizza, which is the first meal that we had in our new home, shared with family and friends who took the time to help us move.
This year’s ornament portrays a pot of meat sauce, which is something I’ve been craving while pregnant with our first child.
Each ornament elicits a fond memory, and it’s fun to think what next year’s ornament will be. Choosing an ornament and placing it on the tree is by far one of my favorite Christmas traditions, and something that I look forward to every year.
I was inspired to share this thanks to all the Herald readers who shared their Christmas traditions, stories, recipes, and poems with us, which are scattered throughout the pages of this edition. It reminds me how important these traditions are, as the memories of them are what remain long after the last Christmas cookie has been eaten and gift unwrapped.
Think about the gifts you received last year. Do you remember what they were? I don’t.
How about the experiences you had with family and friends – baking those desserts “like grandma used to make” or going to that same Christmas parade every year? Those are the memories that matter.
Merry Christmas to you and yours.
ED. NOTE: The author is the managing editor of the Cape May County Herald.
