Ohhhh, Shiny.....

I was lucky to grow up in a time when children didn't have to be kept in plastic bubbles and your parents didn't hover over your every move.  It meant that I was able to do really dangerous things like lay in the back window of the car while my parents dove on the highway, or ride bikes in the street or go out and play and return home "When the street lights come on."  Yep the good old days.

Now one of my favorite memories from the good old days is shiny Silver Metal Christmas tree that we used to have.  If you lived through the 1970's you remember what I'm talking about. Ours was about four feet high and was kept in the basement in the play area.  I loved that gaudy shiny thing.  When you covered it with lights it glowed like Chernobyl. Sure my younger sisters got to grow up in the house with the pool but I had the shiny Christmas tree.

The Shiny Tree has become a thing of legend in my family.  A story to be passed down to future generations like the lore of a magical Christmas Elf.  So imagine my surprise when I dragged The Husband to Target on the saturday after Thanksgiving, a task he relished with delight I might add, and while walking through the Christmas aisles I came across a Shiny Silver tree.  Now, much to my chagrin they no longer make the Shiny tree out of metal which means a new generation will not have the chance to cut their hands while decorating, but this is what happens when lawyers become involved.

I stood there in awe, suddenly a six year year old girl again I had to have it.  The Husband, being of the Jewish faith and male, knew we were there to replace a Christmas tree skirt and to get Spaghettos. He didn't stop to look at the tree, to reach back to a simpler time when Christmas was about wonder and light. No, he walked right past it toward the cat litter. So as stood there I had to make the decision myself. As I liberated the tree from it's lowly place on the shelf I knew it was meant to be, I was going to be whole again.

The Husband looked at me as if I were insane as I came out of the aisle.  "What is that?" he asked.  What is that? What is that? Well it's only the embodiment of my childhood memories. It's only the symbol of a time when Santa was real.  It's only the thing that I have been searching for my entire adult life and as I stood there in Target and explained the significance of the tree he looked at me and said, "Ok. Do we need anything for lunch?"  Do we need anything for lunch? Really? Men.

So here we are thirty-ahem years later and my life has come full circle.  My shiny tree replaced in my life except this time as the Mom I get to put it in the Kitchen and not in the basement.

Chernobyl here we come.