An American Family Gets a Christmas Tree

November 26, 2021

Yesterday we cleared the land of dead trees, deadfall, vines, and scrub.  We are making a small park on the side of our mountain intersecting the sculpture trail we are making through our forest.  We contested our shooting skills on smaller and smaller targets and all qualified—even the 3-year-old.  We nursed babies, bandaged wounds, and walked the shoreline throwing rocks at floating targets.  We drank good coffee, cool water, and cold milk, ate fresh bread, warmed turkey, and all manner of sweets.  We clustered together, all 19 of us, in our small place by the river and literally allowed our warm bodies to warm our home and each other along with the wrestling, laughing, and good talks.  There was warm sunshine, warmer hearts, and warmer yet the single Blood that flowed through us all.  And then the reason for the whole event, we drove way out into the hollers of East Tennessee, dead-ending down a long one-lane path at a 200-year-old farm next to the Clinch River to get our first East Tennessee Christmas tree.  All 19 laughed and searched for the perfect one, the one that would usher in our First Noel.  It was such a joy, all of us knowing exactly what we were doing, from the three-year-old to my 69-year-old lover.  We found it.  All agreed.  Littles Bray cut it down and the celebration began.  We are a cheering family.  Any reason for an ovation and we whoop and holler.  Returning home we set upon the decorating, 3 dogs, 36 elbows, 36 knees, and 18 bodies all in the happy dance chaos to Bing Crosby, ornaments flying, sun setting, colored lights swirling, sunsetting oohs and ahhs, food making, drinks refilling and then the final SHHHHSSSHHHHING!!! LIGHTS OUT—And Littles Oliver with the help of Cocoa (Lover’s name for grandmother) lit the tree.  Another celebration, this time a standing O, and then the nestling down for the traditional Christmas movie.  All the children and all the parents of this American Family, and all is well with The Spirit garland all through us.  And the end of the beginning came. Littles Zachariah held by Good Zac placed the star atop our tree.  We held hands in the UN-Broken circle, sang the Doxology, Sarah prayed, and thanked Him for His ongoing sewing of our circle, and Christmas 2021 has come and Advent soon to begin.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.