Ornamentation

You can learn a lot about a person from their Christmas tree. Is it real or artificial? Real- this person doesn't mind traveling out in the freezing cold winter weather to pick out the perfect tree. They then don't mind cutting it down by hand, strapping it to the hood of the family bus, and haulilng it home to trim and proudly display in the living room. Lots of meaning, lots of risk. Artificial- This person doesn't mind making a trip out to their nearest Home Depot or Target to pick out their perfect tree. It comes pre-lit and ready to assemble. Perfect for the busy family with young children. Same amount of meaning, reduced risk of house fire!
You can find out if they have kids. You can maybe even see their kindergarten picture displayed in the middle of a snow-flake or framed in a red and green wreath. You can find out the year that they moved into their new house or they year they were expecting their first child. Any major event in your life is captured in an ornament. The ornamentation of your life, unwrapped, and placed on the branches of your real or artificial tree.
I am comforted by the fact that every year my family and I will unwrap these ornaments, look back fondly on the event that they represent, and laugh or cry or maybe both. They will sit on display from the end of November until the first of the new year. And then, on that sad day when the Christmas decorations come down, we will lovingly place them back into their bubblewrap homes and place them back in the playroom. They are no longer hanging on the tree, but hanging in our hearts. The ornamentation of our lives.