All families have special traditions that they look forward to. Some have been around for decades and continue to get passed down from generation to generation. No matter how old your traditions are, they had to start somewhere.
Sometimes it’s the small or even silly things that end up meaning the most. Born of necessity, our painted Christmas tree ended up being something to look forward to each month in the otherwise cramped space. We would decorate it for each months holiday or for birthdays. It was sort of an emotional balm after a hard year and it slowly came to mean more than was ever intended.
The wall where our tree had been painted was torn out when we started on the addition. We tried to save it but even with the extra space it just didn’t fit anywhere. It was sad to see it go but we were glad to have the happy memories it had given us. Now, even with more space and a 9 foot tree being decorated as we speak, we wanted our small painted tree back.
When we painted that tree I was really hoping that the kids wouldn’t be upset by the lack of a physical tree in the room. It turned out that they loved the idea and they were excited to tell everyone about it. Even when others didn’t see the appeal, their excitement for our little tree never wavered. I never thought that such a small thing would end up being a bit of a metaphor. Not everything has to be big and expensive to end up meaning the most. A lot of the time, it’s the small things. The little everyday things are what will make up the majority of our lives. I strive to do my best for my family. I don’t always get it right. Lots of days I struggle. I feel guilty, thinking that who I am and what I’ve done aren’t enough. Then I look at our painted tree, a daily reminder that the best things in life are the small things that come out of pure love.