Sheila Sims Iding
It’s only November 6 and our tree is up. Yep! The tree is out of the storage bag, put together and strung with lights. It is up and illuminated and radiantly beautiful. We always put our tree up early but this year it is a little earlier than usual. We are gone next weekend and the following weekend our friends from Germany come to visit. I know what you nay sayers are thinking. I know you think it’s too early. I know your reservations about rushing Christmas. I know you are wondering why a tree all lighted and ready to go before Thanksgiving. I know you think we slight Thanksgiving in anticipation of Christmas but…not so fast. Literally. Not so fast. We didn’t put up our Christmas tree today. We put up our Thanksgiving Tree.
Oh it’s the same tree. But it has a different purpose this time of year. It’s seems like it is just a pretend tree with lights. But it is so much more. It looks like we are rushing Christmas. Or getting ready to deck the branches. Or unpacking a box for the star that goes on top. But we are not. There will be no star…or angel for that matter. There will be no shiny ornaments. No garland. None of those fancy bows I like to don the branches. Not just yet. It’s just a tree with lights. 2,000 lights (Thank you, Pat Iding…master tree putter upper.) It’s just a tree with 2,000 lights and each one represent a blessing in our life. Our lives have been so richly blessed that we put the tree up early with just the lights to reflect on our many blessings. 2,000-plus blessings. Each light radiates how very blessed we are. There are no gifts under a Thanksgiving tree. The gifts are on the tree. They are the lights that are a symbol of all the gifts God has given us. All the gifts and blessings for which we are “giving thanks”…thanks…giving.
Soon there will be a star…garland…ornaments and those fancy bows. Soon there will be gifts under the tree and it will magically be transformed into a Christmas tree. But for now it is a Thanksgiving Tree enlightening us to our many blessings. For we are truly blessed and for that we give thanks to God. After all...“Tis the season.