A Good Luck Sign

"Finding a bird's nest tucked among the branches 

of the Christmas tree is one of the luckiest traditions of Christmas, 

for it predicts good fortune through the coming year."

-- Linda E. Allen, "Nestled in the Christmas Tree"

The bird nest in my Christmas tree 12-22-15

"Oh, Grossmutter, see! St. Nicholas hung 

a little bird's nest for me on the Christmas tree!"

"So he did, so he did, Gretel," said the old woodcutter 

as he took the nest down and put it in Gretel's hands.

-- Carolyn Sherwin Bailey, 

"The Child Abroad," Stories and Rhymes For A Child

"I have last year's nest on my windowsill ... 

and will put this year's next to it as a reminder 

of what it is to receive life's little gifts, especially at Christmas time. 

I like to believe that nature showers love on the people wanting to receive it."

--Laura Munson, 

"A Nest In The Hand," huffingtonpost.com

At our house, the Christmas tree is a guy thing.

The hunt it.

They kill it.

The decorate it.

It's their territory. Their tradition.

I don't touch it.

It's been that way since the boys were little, but big enough to hang ornaments. I just step aside and let them do it the way they want to.

I think my hands-off approach stems from my own bad childhood Christmas tree memories.

My parents had some pretty bitter arguments over the tree. I remember the whole process felt very stressful and made me extremely anxious.

My sisters and I would go along with Dad to the tree lot or wherever, take time picking out what we thought was a really great tree, and then bring it home for Mom's approval. Then we'd listen to a stream of criticism over his poor choice. It was too tall. Too short. The stem wasn't straight. There was a bare spot. Blah, blah, blah.

She'd bite.

He'd bite back.

I'd cower somewhere safe from the flying accusations and insults.

Needless to say, their arguing kind of sucked the magic out of it for me.

And I think that's why now, as a grownup with kids and a husband of my own, I do nothing but praise the efforts of my Christmas tree hunting/gathering/decorating team. They do a good job. I just sit back and enjoy it.

Because the guys always cut a real tree from out in the wild, every once in a while they bring home one with a bird nest hidden inside.

There's some Icelandic or German tradition that says finding a bird nest in your Christmas tree is a symbol of good health and fortune for the coming year.

They found one in this year's tree while they were trimming back the branches and stringing on the lights.  It's a tiny little nest -- delicate and wispy -- no bigger than a small child's fist.

I don't know if the bird nest in Christmas tree legend is true or not, but I like to think it is.

A little good luck is always a good thing.

Plus, how in the world can you argue over a Christmas tree that comes with a gift already inside?

A Good Day For Hanging Christmas Lights

"In the right light, at the right time,

everything is extraordinary."

-- Aaron Rose

Bird nest with Christmas lights 11-24-14

"When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things -- 

not the great occasions -- give off the greatest glow of happiness."

-- Bob Hope

We had a little warm-up over the weekend, so we grabbed the opportunity to get some stuff done, including hanging the outside Christmas lights.

I'd like to say that we had an unusually early burst of Christmas spirit and goodwill, but truthfully, our motivation was more self-preservation than anything.

Hanging Christmas lights in the freezing cold is a bitch.

You can't hang those pesky little fuckers with gloves or mittens on. You have to go at it bare-handed. So if you get a warm enough day close-ish enough to Christmas, do it then and save your fingers from frostbite.

Quite honestly, it was a good day to do it. So we did it.

I must admit, though, our little house looks pretty fucking adorable. And it felt good to feel good about decorating a little bit. For the past couple of years I haven't given a rat's ass about Christmas, period. As for Christmas decorations -- Fuggedaboutit. 

Of course, our strands of lights were all tangled and not lighting up right. So we decided to start fresh. We even strayed away from the typical tiny white twinkle lights and went retro.

I rode my bike over to our local ACE Hardware and bought two strings of lights that remind me of the big old glass-bulb kind from my childhood.

Except, unlike the flesh-blistering glass bulbs of yore, these lights are plastic and cool to the touch and won't burn anyone's fingers. They also won't burn down the house.

They look pretty cool too. Looking at them outside makes me feel happy inside.