Holidays and festivals are rich with meaning and purpose, lending themselves easily as a time and space of tradition and ritual. In honor of this holiday season and the diversity of families we have at Rose Rock, we will take the next several weeks to feature some of their traditions and rituals. These may be traditions of long ago, cherished and kept since childhood, or they may be freshly created for our own children. They may be centered in one festival or holiday, or they may be simple rituals that uplift our daily lives during this time of year. All of them are special ways we create our family cultures. We invite you to relish in them as we do and be inspired to begin your own.
One of my children’s favorite traditions during the holidays is going out on our land as a family to find the perfect Christmas tree. Red cedar trees grow quickly, and may be considered invasive in our region, so they make a perfect choice for a locally harvested tree.
For our five year old, it’s never too early to start looking for the best tree- she will casually remark on this tree or that even in the middle of summer! Our hunt begins in earnest, though, around the middle of December. This year we found one approximately 7′ tall that, once pruned of some ragged lower branches, made the perfect fit in our home. After it was placed in the spot of honor, I caught one of our little ones quietly singing “Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, how lovely are your branches.”
This sweet moment reminded me that perhaps we should be more like the child who sees a potential Christmas tree in every scraggly evergreen, and look for the good in one another, not only during the holiday season, but all year round.
From our family to yours, happy holidays!
By Elizabeth Cupp, wife to Trevor Cupp, mom to Penelope and Heidi
I love the picture you’ve made of the long by-the-way noticing.
Cheers