A Christmas tree virgin . . . . NO MORE!

Today, I helped trim my first Christmas tree! So what you say . . . well it was my very first one. I am a Jew, married to a man from Israel, so a lovely smelling Christmas tree is out of the question. Christmas has always been one of those holidays I coveted. Channukah, which is the miracle of lights, was fine but come on, Christmas with the tree and the decorations and wreaths is pretty spectacular. And if you could remove the religious overtones and the buying frenzy, it would be a neat holiday for everyone. Back to my inaugural tree trimming experience. Two friends and I are writing a children s book and we are participating in a Christmas tree Boy's & Girl's Club of America charity event. For anyone who has not decorated a tree, let me tell you that to make the tree spectacular and professional looking is no simple task. We didn't simply toss strands of tinsel and call it a day, OH NO. In fact there was no tinsel on our tree at all. Garland, filler - consisting of silk poinsettias, glittered picture frames and ornaments of every size covered almost every inch and branch of our tree. The ornaments were a fabulous assortment of gold, red and green, and came in a variety of shapes and designs. We had to be so careful to make sure that it was balanced and there were no large spaces of emptiness. We couldn't have too many of the identical bulbs hanging, lest it be boring and the small figurines were difficult to hang so, and don't tell anyone this, we wired them using their necks as the anchoring spot. After a few hours, I wandered around the hall which housed a plethora of yet-to-be auctioned trees and I have to admit ours was one of 3 of the best there. So for my very first tree, I'd say I did pretty darn good, but it helped that the other two knew exactly what to do. Thanks Nora/Daryle Ann for making my first experience such a lovely one!