The Beauty of Decorating a Christmas Tree

Every family has their own special way of making the Christmas tree look just right.  As I have just started my second year of marriage my family traditions are still new. However, my husband and I have definitely accumulated many old traditions from each of our families.

I have adopted my mother's views on getting a Charlie Brown tree.  Growing up I thought our tree had the most space between all the branches in comparison to our friends' trees, but I've realized in the more recent years that even my mother's trees were never true Charlie Brown trees. There were people out there with even MORE space between their branches. I know. I saw them. I, myself, am leaning, I think, to more space than even my mother preferred. My husband is leaning to more branches. We will see what the years will bring us and what our newish family will adopt in the end. As for this year, we have a decent amount of space between the branches.

Our Family's Steps to Decorating:

1. Tree Top - I have always been a fan of a star.
2. Lights - Per my husband's family I have learned that the tree does not look quite as nice if you do not wrap the trunk , as well as the branches. Also, per my mother and sister, one must stand away and squint at the tree. This way you can tell if there are any spots lacking light.
3. Christmas Balls - These are fillers. They go in the back for a touch of glisten and color.
4. Ornaments - The heavy ones go closer to the trunk, so as not to make your branch "slouch."
5. Sitting from all angles - very key! Look from all angles as  you decorate to prevent bald spots.
6. Icicles - I prefer glass icicles. Although my family always used tinsel on the end as well, I often remember just having to clean up my dog's puke with silver tinsel in it. So, somewhere along the way I nixed tinsel from my own idea of a tree.
    

In all the years I have taken photos of Christmas trees, they never come out looking very nice. This may be because my tree doesn't look nice, and maybe it's my own denial coming forth, but I think there's a special setting and maybe a certain type of tree that looks good in photos that I don't know about. How do those magazines do it? Of course their trees don't have their tops cut off of them, but still.

 

 

 

What are some of your rules for Christmas tree decorating?

The Beauty of a Christmas Tree

Christmas Tree Farming

Seeing that we celebrate the Birth of Christ on January 7th, we got caught up in our household with other tasks such as baby planning, getting sick, our church's Feast Day and 80th anniversary, as well as helping with an Orthodox youth conference.  Thus we never got around to getting our Christmas tree when there were plenty to be had.  Nevertheless there are kind and helpful people out there, ones who even open up their tree farm for us poor planners (our friends also were not able to get their tree, but their excuse is way better, newborn in the house). 

My family often would go cut down a tree. It was a family escapade that smelled so much of Christmas, because Christmas does have a smell! My husband and I were able to share in this tradition for the first time this year (last year we bought a pre-cut tree).  So our tree is up in its stand and waiting to be adorned.

Day 1 of this year and already a lesson learned:

We brought our tree home and it was too tall. Our eyes were bigger than our room this year. As we don't have a saw to cut the bottom, we cut off the top. NEVER CUT OFF THE TOP. Cutting off the top changes the shape and look of the tree. Now our tree looks like we cut the bottom and the top and decided to keep the middle of the tree. Oh well. I've decided to love my tree anyway. Next year... I won't cut off the top.

What traditions does your family follow pertaining to the Christmas tree?

Pascha Preparations - Egg Dying

Egg dying was a time for my sister and I to get creative.  Every year we would try to think of a new medium to use and new patterns or ideas to draw.  This year I attempted embossing on eggs for a second time.  The first time didn't really count because I didn't have the right sized stamps.  This year I did have the right sized stamps but it was probably my last time embossing eggs.  It takes too long and as I usually dye eggs on Saturday afternoon before Pascha, fatigue is at a high.  I do however like the brush markers on stamps.  However, this year I was already tired from the embossing and the failed attempts that I didn't really try with the stamping.  I foresee next year as being a good year for egg dying and stamping. 

Pascha Preparations - Kulich

As in many households, kulich making is a female tradition.  Although I do remember my brother helping when I was very little, more to lick dough off his hands. But that was long ago.  For many years my sister and I helped my mother. Then the three of us did it together, and slowly it gravitated to my sister and I doing it.  Eventually my sister met the love of her life, got married and moved away.  Life shifted and my mother and I made kulichi together.  Well life shifted yet again when I met the love of my life, moved away and now I make the kulichi myself.  This is my second Easter as a married woman and I would like to commend my husband for making kulichi with me last year.  However, this year I realized that he had a lot on his plate being the choir conductor and a student, so I decided since I've had so many years of practice I could do it all on my own.  Although my dough did not rise as much as I would have liked, this year was a success.  And really, the dough didn't rise all the way because I have yet to nurture the virtue of patience.  Had I given it more time I'm sure the dough would have grown exponentially.  The first round rose wonderfully. I skipped the second rising.

My mother always put the paste on the napkin for the kulich. That was one part I was never allowed to do.  Last year was my first Pascha away from home and I forgot to put the sprinkles on the edge.  I cried when I realized it was too late.  You may think that is a little excessive over sprinkles, but tradition is important.  Tradition is what makes life feel a little more meaningful at times.  My husband told me it was okay because he didn't like sprinkles anyway.  This year I remembered.  I think he likes sprinkles this year.  Only my mother always did a thicker and thinner line.  My sister this year lined her edges with tiny flowers.  I think next year I may try both.

The selecting of flowers and a color scheme for the top of each kulich was always exciting. Although I tend to gravitate to orange and yellows; some odd kick I've been on since I got engaged.  The moment I was proposed to it was like a pregnant woman with a craving. Only instead of food, I craved a color. My whole life had to be orange.  I apologize to my bridesmaids for having to wear orange dresses.  I did love the color though and it looked great in photos. So anyways, my kulichi are now feeling the residual trickle from my orange craze. 

The Beauty of Roosters

In the Russian culture I feel there were many objects of nature that were alluring to the Russian people. For example trees.  There must be at least 5 songs written per each tree type in Russia.  Although I'm not sure that roosters (petushki) are on the same caliber of appreciation as trees. Okay I know they are not.  However, they are still culturally famous.  There is of course Petya Petushok.  The town Petushki.  A rooster emblem in many a film.  A poem written by Pushkin about the Golden Rooster. The well known story of the rooster kidnapped by the fox. 

And so I have introduced you to all the roosters living in my home.  I have had a rooster fascination since the time I convinced my friend to make a rooster paper-mache with me in the 9th grade. And now I have finally satiated my need for roosters...

"Петушок, петушок,
Золотой гребешок,
Масляна головушка,
Шелкова бородушка,
Что ты рано встаешь,
Голосисто поешь,
Деткам спать не даешь?"

The Beauty of Tradition: Zhavoronki

40 soldiers confessed they were Christians in the early 300s.  40 soldiers were condemned for their beliefs.  They were placed unclothed on a frozen pond on a bitter cold night.  One soldier ran away.  During the night a guardsman witnessed the existence of God and took the place of the 40th soldier.  In remembrance of the 40 soldiers who died for their faith it is tradition to bake 40 zhavoronki (larks). 

I find myself puzzled that I never asked why it is that we bake breads that look like birds in order to remember 40 soldiers.  I read on another blog how a mother explained to her children that the lark symbolizes the Holy Spirit which was inside each of the men the night they gave their lives for what they believed in.  But the more traditional reason comes down to the fact that the first day of spring is on the same day that we commemorate these 40 soldiers.  Since the lark is the first bird of spring, the two were combined to make a tradition to last for years and years.

And so, my baking experience:

Also, I haven't made zhavoronki in quite some time.  As a result, I decided I knew better than ALL the generations of women before me who made them a certain way. Hence my zhavoronki came out more like fat airplanes with eyes.

I tried to persevere and try again.  So I searched 'zhavoronki' on the Internet and found a lovely Russian site that some marvellous Russian woman with immense baking talent and skill posted a step by step instruction on how to make flying larks. Again, instead of reverting back to the traditional way of making zhavoronki, which is basically make a knot with the dough, I decided once again to be different, try something new, and aspire to be like this amazing Russian baker. 

Although there was some improvement throughout the process, there were definitely challenges with consistency in size.

"Tradition!"