When Mike and I got married, we both worked full time and went to school at night. We weren’t penniless, but we also didn’t have much in the budget for Christmas decor. It was kind of expensive to get my hair permed, you know.

What we did have was a huge “bow pillow” that someone made out of white netting, ruffled around the edges, and stuffed with all of the bows from our wedding gifts.

Those bows became the ornaments on our first Christmas tree.

Through the years, we’ve gathered lots of pretty ornaments – gifts from my mother and grandmother  mostly – that have ties to something unique about our personalities or remind us of something special that happened during the year.

The bows are long gone.

Now, we have the joy of seeing our little newlyweds decorate their own tree.

They first tried to frugally remake a hand-me-down, but after that flopped, they found a nearby place to buy a small real tree, complete with a stand, get a couple of boxes of golden balls and a few other items from Hobby Lobby, cart it all home to their apartment, put on the holiday tunes, drink hot chocolate and decorate their first Christmas tree.

It’s beautiful, and I love how happy they are as newlyweds. Making a home. Starting their own traditions.

There was a time when a close family member got a little ramped up on internet theology and was determined to make me feel guilty for having a Christmas tree.

Then I realized this. That person forgot that the Bible says a lot about a tree.

In Genesis, there’s the tree of life.  In Proverbs, wisdom is the tree of life, and those who hold fast to that tree will be blessed. Jesus was crucified on a wooden cross, and in Revelation, we are promised access to the tree of life for all eternity.

Our Christmas tree isn’t the focus of Christmas. It’s a reminder, an object lesson, if you will, of the life that is found in the wisdom of believing in Jesus.

Hark, the herald angels sing!

Encouraging intentional adventure and a fresh look at the Christmas tree,

PS- you can download this beautiful photo to use as your screensaver @joelchristopherson.