holiday tree – Judy Nolan

The week the Christmas tree gets taken down always feels anticlimactic to me, especially after the excitement that precedes its decorating. Because our tree is decorated with both our own family’s ornaments and those of my late parents, each decoration marks a moment in time: our son’s birth, his earliest handmade ornaments, a favorite storybook character, family members’ hobbies, the first Christmas we visited our parents after being married, my father’s love of flying. It’s fun, too, to add new ornaments to the tree, especially when they are handmade, but also purchased ones that carry a special meaning.

Our own tree still stands in front of the living room window, and probably will stay up for another full week before we remove the ornaments and put the tree away. Where I work, however, the trees in the atrium are coming down every day this week. Yes, trees. Earlier this month, 10 groups of employees—mostly different departments—were represented in a Parade of Trees decorating competition that challenged employees’ creativity. Bottlebrush tree trophies were presented at the annual holiday party for the Most Unique Tree, Best Themed Tree, Best Traditional Tree and Best Overall Tree—and each one was special in its own way.

Although not officially part of the Parade of Trees, the corporate tree in the lounge near the main entrance of the building drew everyone’s eyes.

The atrium was lined with five trees on each side. You can see a Parade of Trees banner hanging from the walking bridge that crosses the atrium.

My department decided it would focus on a traditional-themed tree, so my contribution was handmade paper ornaments, some of which are shown below.

Although the awards have already been presented, at the end of this post you can vote for your favorite tree. Unofficially, I have nicknamed each one, so I hope that doesn’t sway your opinion one way or the other. Here we go!

Tree #1 – O Starry Night