Amazed

Each year my cousin hosts our family Christmas party at her home. Each year the tree seems to get bigger, and bigger. Seriously the tree is so big that our local news station did a story about the tree last year. My cousins husband is in a wheel chair but that doesn't keep him from finding the biggest tree he can find each and every year. They travel to North Carolina to bring home the beast, I mean tree.

When you enter their front door, you see nothing but this massive tree. Millions, and that is no exaggeration, of strands of silver tinsel hang from the branches. Countless colored lights give the room a reddish/pinkish tint. If I had to guess I would say it would take at least 35, if not more, of us to make a circle around this tree. How do they have a tree this size you might ask.... well, their home is wheel chair accessible, and the ceilings are some of the tallest I've ever seen. So somehow, again this is something I've not figured out, they manage to squeeze this enormous tree in the french doors and finally get it to stand.

My cousin, Becky, has to be the most patient, understanding person I know. She never grumbles about anything. I can only imagine the grumbling I'd be doing if a tree the size of Texas was coming into my house. Thinking of the millions of needles that fall off that tree that she has to vacuum up, just makes me shutter. Hosting a party for over fifty people, another reason I'd probably run from the thought. Not Becky, she embraces it. You can feel the hospitality the minute you walk in the door. It's nice each year to know that we will see the extended family that we usually only see once a year. There is a line of food that goes on forever. There are more sweets then the local donut shop has to offer.

My grandmother comes from a family of eleven siblings. This party is for each of those siblings and their extended family. There is always a house full. If my great-grandmother, Leona, were living it would be right up her alley. She loved a crowd, she loved family gatherings, she loved, loved, loved seeing the children play. I can't help but think of the joy she would get from sitting on the couch watching the children run circles around that massive tree. I can hear Grandpa too, "Leona, those young'uns are going to get hurt or tear that tree down!" Makes me smile to know that our family is still sharing the traditions that Grandma and Grandpa left behind.

Happy Holidays!

PS...I still have over 100 pictures from Christmas to load to my computer... check back to this post for the tree picture!!!!