Haul Out the Holly

With an uncertain chemo regimen on the horizon, my boyfriend and I devoted more time and energy than we might otherwise have preferred to getting the house ready for Christmas. I'm no believer in either the commercial holiday or the religious myths of Christmas, but I have a historical fascination with the season's pagan roots. And let's face it, looking at decorations and singing carols is fun! So I wanted to make the house more cheery and bring back some pleasant memories of Yuletides past.

This is one of three (!) trees we put up in the house. Shown here is a Noble Fir purchased from Seattle AIDS Support Group. Elsewhere we installed an abundantly lit artificial tree. And for an extra dose of ironic nostalgia, we assembled a vintage shiny aluminum tree from the 1960s.