Your Christmas Trees are Making me Jealous


We don't have a Christmas tree.

We will never have a Christmas tree.

I'm okay with this. I am.

BUT. If you don't see me delurking around your Christmas-themed blog in the next few weeks its only because I'm a teensy bit jealous.

As for those of you who live locally-- if you see me delurking around neighborhood Christmas tree lots its only because I enjoy random plots of foilage in this cold-hard-town.

And no that's not mistletoe above the door, it's Hanukkah gelt. With a kosher garnish.

And those aren't stockings hanging above my faux-fireplace, either. I'm just hanging my pantyhose to dry. (Yes of COURSE I wear pantyhose. Every day.)

And no I'm not wearing a Rudolph the Reindeer sweater. Psh. It's so totally a moose. With a sunburn. And a red and green fleece.

Shut up.

GGC

21 comments:

Karen | 5:01 AM

But didn't you celebrate both holidays growing up?

Anonymous | 5:02 AM

Sweets, I am rocking Christmas envy hard this year - the lights, the trees, the stockings, the endless ornaments - ack - dh, who isn't jewish, said he doesn't want to tree - I think I might have to make him want a tree next year - yeah, I'm deep in Rationalization River..

Leigh C. | 5:54 AM

My cures for them not-celebrating-Christmas blues?

-Help Christian friends decorate their trees. I just attended a tree decorating party at my neighbors' and ended up designing and making half the ornaments on their tree. It's all the joy without dealing with picking the tree, making sure it doesn't drop all its needles everywhere, and then having to take everything off when the holiday is over and drag the tree out to the curb for the garbage pickup.

-Shop, shop, shop for those hoilday gifts. Wrap 'em yourself, as it gives you an excuse to have all the red & green paper and trimmings around. Select those hollerday greeting cards with care.

Very soon, I find, the envy evaporates. 8-)

Anonymous | 7:41 AM

I'll let you come over and do my tree, if you want. I am not a huge fan of actually decorating the tree, though I'm hoping now that we get to do it with a kid around it will be more fun. And they are pretty. I'll send you a picture, and you can put it on your computer desktop or something.

foodiemama | 7:42 AM

dude...come on over and delurk. x-mas puked up all over here, hehe.

Momo | 8:08 AM

It is supposed to be just a great time decorating the X-mas tree...but let me tell you that in the last two years, since me and my fiancee we moved out together, this tradition became a nightmare...too many ornaments and not so much inspiration to use them properly.
It seems that the X-mas trees, for some persons, there are just to be admired...

Anonymous | 12:59 PM

Tree schmee...a whole lot of hooplah and an excuse for my husband to cuss a lot.

PS I hope your moose sweatshirt has LOTS AND LOTS of sequins. It ain't Christmas if it ain't shiny.

Anonymous | 1:27 PM

You can come on over and love up on our tree anytime. I will even slip you some shnoppy hot cocoa if you want.

Anonymous | 1:28 PM

Representin' fo The Tribe, yo!

Mom101 | 1:52 PM

You'd like NY. There's an entire sect of us that my father has always referred to as "Christmas Tree Jews," myself included.

Crunchy Carpets | 4:14 PM

Can't there be a Hannukah (sp??) tree?

With little Stars of David or something?

Is that bad?

Not if you love the pretty trees!!!!

apricoco | 4:40 PM

my huz is a member of the tribe... I'm not. We get a Christmas Tree/Hanukkah Bush and decorate it with a little of each religion. He gets more excited about getting the tree than I do. His mother buys us ornaments every year for Hanukkah. It's a nice meshing of traditions. Go out a get a Hanukkah Bush if it makes you happy... and they smell good too.

Anonymous | 5:02 PM

A jewish friend of mine thought he'd surprise his new christian wife and decorate her tree while she was out. He put the ornaments on the tree THEN tried to put the lights on it. I wish I could have been there to see the fiasco. But I did give him an "A" for effort! Not because he was jewish, but because he was a man and made the attempt.--Bama Mom

Unknown | 6:29 PM

I am with you on the tree but not for religious reasons. I already have to chase my daughter off of so many things that I can't stand the thought of shooing her away from the tree too. We go to mom and dad's anyway for Christmas, so she can have her Christmas tree there. For us, it is stockings and garland on the fireplace.

Anonymous | 9:39 PM

oye vey ... just get a tree ... or at least a little shrub.

Chef's Widow | 11:40 AM

You actually may be a little luckier than you think. We live in Brooklyn NY and decided that we would drive all the way to Long Island for a tree. We went to this amazing tree far, spent $100 and picked out a beautiful lemon smelling Concolor fir. What our tree man neglected to mention is that the needles of this tree all fall off a few days after it is sawed down. We brought the tree back and decorated it. Now just week later it has gone from a thick round tree to a meager stick. We are averaging 2lbs of needles a day. Although the boy and I did turn it into a Catcher Crazy Face Christmas tree...
---I really enjoy reading GGC. You inspire me as both a mamma & a writer:)

petite gourmand | 12:01 PM

big daddy just went and picked up his very first Christmas tree this year.
no, he's not converting.
but we have to host Xmas this year because my parents are in the middle of a move, so someone has to deck the halls.
and lucky us..

tree-$100.
stand, lights & tree skirt $100
ornaments $200
the expression on lulu's face when she sees her first Christmas tree/ Hanukkah bush- priceless.

Jaelithe | 2:45 PM

Psst-- hey, GGC, don't let the Christians who love Christmas trees hear me point this out, but didn't anyone tell you that Christmas trees aren't Christian?

It's true. The tradition of decorating the house with festive greenery and candles and giving gifts in late December is pagan in origin. It was originally to celebrate the winter solstice. The Catholic church moved the celebration of Jesus's birthday to December 25th as a ploy to convert more pagans to Christianity. Jesus was probably actually born in May or June.

So, get a tree, light it up, and celebrate the winter solstice already ;) You won't be acting any more blasphemous than the Christians.

Green | 2:58 PM

I'm a lonely jew around Christmas time too. Probably why I find myself thinking "There's NOTHING wrong with getting white and blue lights to frame the window with, and then putting a menorah on the window sill - it'll look pretty."

Happy Hanukah - a few days early.

Anonymous | 6:06 AM

Happy Solstice. Do a tree!

nonlineargirl | 7:24 PM

As the Jew in my marriage, I like that Christmas is something we go to. Even before we had a child, my husband and I went to his parents' house for Christmas. I like it that way - I get the nice tree smell, the cookies, the presents, the delicious Christmas morning breakfast - but I don't have to clean up dried pine needles, prepare dinner, or vaccuum before people show up.