I'll have a Blue Christmas (Tree) Without You
Some families have more rules than others. Stricter boundaries, earlier bedtimes, less cream cheese on their bagels. Children of a certain age take it upon themselves to analyze the house rules and announce--loudly, sometimes rudely--that the rules really bite.
I've never thought of myself as much of a rule person, falling somewhere between laissez-faire and live-and-let live--if there is actually any territory to stake out there. I always felt that this approach came from doing so much more reading than living when I was little. The wide variety of family systems my broad taste in books introduced me to didn't leave lots of room for hard and fast, one size fits all rules. "Be nice" sounds pretty namby-pamby, but there were times when it, with it's fraternal twin sister "Be Honest," seemed the only rules that could be applied in every circumstance.
My offspring feel differently. They think I define myself by rules and my rules are--the word they could never say in elementary school because it was a Bad Word--stupid. Read that unenlightened, in the dark, generally antediluvian.
So, I have been thinking hard about How I Really Feel About the Rules. When one comes out of my mouth now, I ask myself from which part of my body it emerged. Was it a cerebral cortex kind of thing, more of a knee jerk, or even something more scatalogical?
The most recent rule that I have filed in the Knee Jerk category is No White Christmas Trees. And that surprised me. White Christmas trees were, well, I can't even tell you how horrible I was brought up to believe they were. But my beautiful. loving neighbor has the snazziest white Christmas tree with electric pink ornaments you have ever seen. And, of course my younger daughter covets it.
"Mom, can we get a white Christmas tree?"
"No. It's against the rules. We have to have green."
"Why?"
Why, indeed?
Under further examination, I realized that not only do I have no personal problem with white holiday trees, I like them. And I like pink ones. And Charlie Brown ones. And feather ones. And ones with bird food. I just like the idea of decorating trees for the holidays.
Now, I have three trees in my life. At my house, we have an old-school green one. Because, as I eventually explained, it just goes better with the furniture. In my sunday school room, we have a pink one, covered in Jesse's relatives. And now, at Bright Sky Press, we have a bright, beautiful sky blue tinsel one.
The newest addition to the holiday arbor is definitely a reader's tree. It has many definitions. You can take it at face value, or you can read between the lines. It is open to interpretation. It's a Hannuchristmas Tree, a Buddha Bush and a full-on Season of Lights Celebration. It is broad minded, broad limbed and bluer than the Texas sky. Mainly, it's a happy tree, too in-the-moment to even ponder its own tastefulness.
Our blue tree rocks. And we'll be rocking around it in our warehouse this Wednesday and Thursday, eating cookies, sharing the love and selling great books at 40% off.
Because there's no rule that says we can't.
I think I have something tonight that's not quite correct for evening wear. Blue suede shoes.
~Elvis Presley
