Tis The Season To Be Merry

We went out today and performed the one big holiday tradition we get the most excitement out of. We cut down our Christmas Tree.

For this blog entry, I want to forget about my cancer and focus on this tradition and what it was like for me to go out this time and hear everything. I am still reeling from the whole experience. It was so powerful and I really have to share.

It started this morning when mom made up a big thermos of Hot chocolate. Now, I don't mean the store bought stuff. I mean the real deal. She melts her own chocolate and blends it with sugar and some hot milk and let me tell you, Carnation and Nestle have nothing on my Mom's hot chocolate. From there we got bundled up and hopped in the truck to head out to find our tree. This time though, we put on a holiday CD in the truck. I have never been able to listen to Christmas music in the truck before when heading out to get the tree. I chose a CD I bought recently, Josh Groban's "Noel". Its an amazing CD and I love it.

Listening to Josh do his rendition of the traditional X-mas songs, we made our way out to the country. We don't go to a tree farm for our tree. We go out into the bush and actually look for the one we want. My dad thinks this is better and makes for a more rewarding tree because we actually have to look around and find it.

The drive took about 1/2 hour and we ended up pulling off the road and hopping out. I took a deep breath (like I always do) of pine, clean air and the smell of crisp snowy air. I then took my first few steps into the heavy snow and stopped. The sound was amazing. Have you ever stopped and listened to what it sounds like when you walk through fresh snow. It makes a strange crackling and crunching noise. I took it all in. Mom poured us a cup of Hot Chocolate and we began our walk in.

I listened to several winter squirrels chattering in the bush, a partridge flapped past us, its wings beating out a sound that reminded me of a drum and several birds chirped out various alerts to there brethren that the humans were coming.

It took us about 20 or so mins. but we found our tree. A thick and sturdy scotch pine. My dad got down on the ground and I listened as he sawed the trunk. The scraping, clicking, shooshing sound of the saw cutting through the trunk. The crackle, snap and pop of the last of the trunk giving way to gravity. I was overwhelmed. It was all so exciting and it left me awe struck. So many sounds, so many new sounds.

We tied up the tree to a sled and carted it back to the car where we tied it up and took it home. As we speak it is in its tree stand sucking up water and thawing out. Tonight we will put on a singer called Bing Crosby, sip egg nog and decorate our tree. Only this time, we will all tell stories and share instead of signing stories. I can hardly wait.

Its this time of season that I feel lighter, happier and fuller than I do any other time of year. This season is very special to me. With all that is going on, the excitement of the season and all my new experiences dampen the impact of the things I find myself fighting.

I am a lucky person, I know that, and I will never forget it. This season, think of all you have, all your traditions and all your family. Remember, the real joy of the season comes not in the gifts or trinkets, but in the love and warmth of family and friends.

LiveSTRONG!