Set it up

During the day yesterday for some reason I got the idea in my head that it would be cool if we put mom’s Christmas tree up.  It has been sitting in my small shed since the last time it was put up in December of 13.  At several points since my mom passed away I had considered throwing out her old tree, figuring it would bring more emotional pain than pleasure.

I recall buying this tree with my mom years ago.  She was very excited that we scored a Black Friday deal on the tree that she saw posted in the K-mart flyer.  I remember when we set it up she was less than thrilled with the quality of the tree initially but once she got done decorating it looked much better, sort of a Charlie Brown Christmas scenario.

In 2013 mom did not want to even bother putting her tree up.  Cindy wound up helping her set it up back then to bolster mom’s Christmas spirit. Being the last one involved setting up the tree before mom passed away made it tough on Cindy emotionally as we got the tree in place.

It’s narrow profile allowed it to more or less fit in the corner next to the tv.  I really don’t have any ornaments for it so Cindy is going to go get some to really dress it up.  I have no doubt it will be stunning by the time she is finished.  Although I did/do feel some of the expected sadness as I see mom’s tree standing there I also feel some degree of comfort as well.

This weekend I continue my last streak of consecutive race weekends which doesn’t end until December 19th.  This race is not chip timed but is looking to have it’s own unique set of hurdles that will need to be cleared.  The rest of the weekend will have chores and Xmas related shopping and other duties to address.  With the NYC trip wedged right in front of Xmas I need to keep reminding myself that my normal timeline for things needs to be accelerated.