The perfect tree

As the Christmas season approaches, many of us are venturing out to find the perfect tree. There are so many options!

Real vs. artificial. Fir, spruce, balsam or pine. What height? Skinny vs. stout. Colored or white lights. Tree shopping and decorating during this season can be a bit overwhelming, but it’s still my favorite time of year.

When it comes to trees, I love the real or potted variety, usually a fir, and on the skinnier side. If you’ve visited Finland, you know that white lights are where it’s at. Simple. Cozy. Elegant.

Ornaments that adorn the branches often signify our travels and childhoods, craft projects of our own children, or special times or people in our lives. The tradition of collecting ornaments and passing them down to children and grandchildren is a beautiful one. Each precious ornament has a story that can be repeated year after year while you find just the right branch to display it.

The small, pitiful tree with missing branches and falling needles becomes a star in Charlie Brown’s Christmas. What a great analogy: we all have our flaws, but with a little care and attention we are all beautiful, too, in our own way, in our own time. Every tree, like every person, is perfect to someone.

There is nothing better than enjoying a lit tree in our homes during the Christmas season. A beacon of peace and hope. A reminder of family and Christmases past. A light in the dark season as we head toward the winter solstice. A bit of warmth and comfort and continuity as we mark the end of one calendar and the start of a new one.

Enjoy this season of trees and wonder.

The Nantucket tradition: a Christmas tree decorated with lights is placed in a dory boat in the harbor.