In light of everything that has been happening recently, I've been doing my best to live in the moment, to seek comfort in beauty.  And it's been working so far.  Mostly.


Anyway, along those lines, here were today's goals:  

1. Retrieve the Christmas tree from storage.
2. Assemble said Christmas tree.

I am happy to say that both of those goals were reached.


Here are the results:

Surprise!  It's our Christmas Tree!

For my Christmas tree, I tend to start with a theme...  And then add special, extra touches. My current theme is burgundy, purple, and gold.

Okay, so it's a dark picture--but in it, you can
see purple, burgundy, and gold!

And, occassionally, I like to include bright red:

One of my favorite ornaments, taken from my parents' tree.
I remember this bird from when I was little.

This time, I also added touches of clear and silver:

...And maybe some more bright red:

This very special ornament was handmade
by my grandfather.  I teared up when I put
it on the tree.

 
Of course, that's just the beginning.  There are plenty of ornaments that match absolutely nothing--that I include simply because I like them.  Like my Christmas Gargoyle.  And my VeggieTales ornaments.

Yes, that is Larry the Cucumber.
And a hand-blown glass hedgehog.

Now that it is all said and done, I'm sitting at my computer, staring at the warm glow of my Christmas tree.  To me, there is something very comforting about Christmas lights, and the soft sparkle of tinsel.  Any other time, these things might seem gaudy...  but, right now, they are gentle beauty--and they make my heart glad.