Posted on
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
You Can Take the Boy Out of Texas, But ...
Writing a “Christmas” column is something I don’t look forward to. Don’t get me wrong. I like Christmas. What I don’t like are the “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Christmas” columns you find in every magazine you pick up.
I think we’re generally aware of the meaning of Christmas, aren’t we? And all the traditions and customs? If we’re not aware, we’ve managed to live our lives all right so far without it, haven’t we? I don’t see anybody suffering unduly because of such a knowledge gap, do you?
Now that I’ve vented, let me take a deep breath and get on with my annual Christmas column.
When we think of Christmas, one of the first things that come to mind is a Christmas tree, one of the most recognizable images of the season. Most people agree that the Christmas tree is a German tradition, started in 700 A.D. Today, about 36 million Christmas trees are produced each year. About 95 percent come directly from Christmas tree farms, many of them here in East Texas. In North America alone, there are more than 15,000 Christmas tree growers.
Oh, Lord! Please strike that last paragraph. This is beginning to sound like those “Everything” columns I mentioned earlier.
The point is, almost everywhere you go, the Christmas Tree is the focal point of your holiday celebration. You decorate it as lavishly as the budget will allow, pile your gifts under it, and gather around it to sing Christmas carols and drink eggnog.
It’s the decorating I want to talk about. Most families have their own unique way of decorating their tree, establishing and extending traditions for years to come.
My brother, who lives in Portland, Ore., is a good example. A native Texan, he has lived in Portland since taking his discharge from the Air Force there in the early 1950s. The thing is, he never got over being a Texan, as anybody who ever knew him can attest.
One year his wife gave him a “Texmas Tree,” sporting a starter ornament of a bolo tie with a closure labeled “Texas.” Word got around and friends and family started sending him decorations each year including a miniature Lone Star beer, prickly pear and rattlesnakes. He reports that a scorpion ornament has yet to be found. We’ve sent our share of bowlegged cowboys, longhorn steers, horses and armadillos, even a big silver and blue Dallas Cowboy ornament , which his two dogs dispatched in short order.
December 12th, the day after my brother’s birthday, is the beginning of the Christmas season at his house, and the day the “Texmas Tree” goes up in all its symbolic glory.
I’m sure that to his friends, this is just a smart aleck Texan’s way of getting attention. To me, it just confirms a long-held belief: “You can take the boy out of Texas, but you can’t take Texas out of the boy.”
A question to ponder:
If half the country is optimistic and the other half pessimistic, do you agree?
putterhugh@suddenlink.net
Hugh Neeld is a freelance columnist for TylerPaper.com.
I think we’re generally aware of the meaning of Christmas, aren’t we? And all the traditions and customs? If we’re not aware, we’ve managed to live our lives all right so far without it, haven’t we? I don’t see anybody suffering unduly because of such a knowledge gap, do you?
Now that I’ve vented, let me take a deep breath and get on with my annual Christmas column.
When we think of Christmas, one of the first things that come to mind is a Christmas tree, one of the most recognizable images of the season. Most people agree that the Christmas tree is a German tradition, started in 700 A.D. Today, about 36 million Christmas trees are produced each year. About 95 percent come directly from Christmas tree farms, many of them here in East Texas. In North America alone, there are more than 15,000 Christmas tree growers.
Oh, Lord! Please strike that last paragraph. This is beginning to sound like those “Everything” columns I mentioned earlier.
The point is, almost everywhere you go, the Christmas Tree is the focal point of your holiday celebration. You decorate it as lavishly as the budget will allow, pile your gifts under it, and gather around it to sing Christmas carols and drink eggnog.
It’s the decorating I want to talk about. Most families have their own unique way of decorating their tree, establishing and extending traditions for years to come.
My brother, who lives in Portland, Ore., is a good example. A native Texan, he has lived in Portland since taking his discharge from the Air Force there in the early 1950s. The thing is, he never got over being a Texan, as anybody who ever knew him can attest.
One year his wife gave him a “Texmas Tree,” sporting a starter ornament of a bolo tie with a closure labeled “Texas.” Word got around and friends and family started sending him decorations each year including a miniature Lone Star beer, prickly pear and rattlesnakes. He reports that a scorpion ornament has yet to be found. We’ve sent our share of bowlegged cowboys, longhorn steers, horses and armadillos, even a big silver and blue Dallas Cowboy ornament , which his two dogs dispatched in short order.
December 12th, the day after my brother’s birthday, is the beginning of the Christmas season at his house, and the day the “Texmas Tree” goes up in all its symbolic glory.
I’m sure that to his friends, this is just a smart aleck Texan’s way of getting attention. To me, it just confirms a long-held belief: “You can take the boy out of Texas, but you can’t take Texas out of the boy.”
A question to ponder:
If half the country is optimistic and the other half pessimistic, do you agree?
putterhugh@suddenlink.net
Hugh Neeld is a freelance columnist for TylerPaper.com.
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