A Christmas Tree Story

Most years, I decorate a huge Christmas tree with hundreds of ornaments and sparkles, but this year our tree is so different .... it is a small jade tree in a pot, decorated in soft colours .

The little tree is from a second generation cutting from my grandmother's jade tree, brought from Hong Kong, or so the family story claims. The baubles are frosted glass with our grandchildren's names on them, made by my daughter-in-law. I added a few little dolls also in pastels and I hung some felted balls . These little balls were made in Nepal, a couple of years ago at Seven Women, a centre which empowers marginalised Nepalese women through education and employment. There is a single wooden star resting on the top branch of the tree.

Somehow all this seemed appropriate with the unsettled and disturbing situation of the fast spreading Omicron variant of Covid -19 here in Newcastle ( NSW) - these colours are calm, reassuring and subdued . The tree decorations reflect the feeling of wanting to protect our own family and also remind us how lucky we are compared to those in other countries where the health services are not as accessible for so many.

On Christmas morning, I placed a single star on the front door - a beautiful gift from my sister. It is made from handmade paper with an Aboriginal design - it fits this year's theme and intentions perfectly.

I rather like the "pared back" look of Christmas in our home this year - perhaps it's a sign of future Christmases ?

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