Sunday, December 18, 2011

The Christmas Branch

Seems Tebow time was cancelled today after the New England Patriots crushed the Denver Broncos. I saw Tebow seek out at least 10 Patriot players and congratulate them. That's real class and safe to say I am a fan now. That kid is tough and can lose without being a loser.

Looks to be a light week for me and instead of heavy market posts I will try to offer up some more philosophical takes on things.

The Christmas Branch
I have not thought about what I am going to write about in a long time.

I was in third grade. It was the start of December. Christmas was on the way. No better time for a kid, just none.

And then my Mom got an idea.

My mother is a "leaf peeper" (so annoying) and on a trip in the fall she found this white birch branch that captured her attention. I guess I should have known. She decided that this branch would be our Christmas tree for that year. It was no huge green tree but what did me and my two sisters and brother care? It was all about the presents!

My Mom was a huge coffee drinker and that year Maxwell House included these clear plastic ornaments in anticipation of the holiday season. My mother also bought a ton of glass icicles from a thrift store. The barren tree was dressed with these all white decorations. My Mom loved it! I guess it was artsy or what not. I thought it was a bit weak, but whatever.

And I think it would have been fine if some friends had not stopped over.

I forget what we were doing but 3 friends came over to hang out and they saw the new era work of art Christmas tree. A branch with plastic ornaments. It went from there.

The next day at school I noticed the pointing fingers and the laughs as I walked by. Obviously this was before I found beers so it made no sense, I had not made a fool of myself.

The next two weeks were a cacophony of "you are so poor" and "all you have for a tree is a branch". Even my teacher pulled me aside and asked me if things at home where OK. Can you imagine?

We were poor, more than I think many big players can realize (I will cover this in my next post) but this particular time it was by choice we had this tree. My mother loved it. She really did.

And so I never said a thing.

But I did fight. Oh, did I fight. I cleared out the 4th, 5th, and half the 6th graders before people just stopped crapping on me over that tree. I never had another fight until junior high after that, I took them all on. Even in high school the freaking tree would come up!

I love my mother, she has been a beacon and a source of strength for me for so long. I told her about this story maybe 8 years ago and she was crestfallen about it. She need not be. I know how much she loved that tree and I would protect her from the petty things that make the rounds at that age.

Is there a point here? I hope so.

Have a good night.

4 comments:

GawainsGhost said...

My mother has always been a Folger's girl. And she is insane, what with her leapard print snuggie and cat-in-the-hat socks.

The stories I could tell. But I never got into fights about it. Everyone respects my mother, because she is the queen of real estate. They just don't know her like I do.

Anyway, did you see this shit on the news?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/987693-cowboys-stadium-video-watch-runaway-golf-cart-during-high-school-football-game

An unmanned electric golf cart goes berserk and starts running over people on the field at Cowboys Stadium after a high school championship game.

I'm telling you this stadium is cursed. Think about it, GYC. The practice tent collapse, the seating fiasco at the Super Bowl, sheets of ice sliding off the roof hitting people on the head. And now this.

Look. You screw up the Super Bowl, hey we understand. You're stupid and cheap. But you screw up a high school championship in Texas? That is beyond sacreligious.

God does not like Jerry Jones.

David Batista said...

Great story, man. Not great what you had to go through as a kid, but great that we all have these life-defining moments in our childhood where we stand up to the crap others try to give us.

I have my own tales to tell on that subject. But thank you for sharing yours. My mother did something similar, too, once. And my brother and I got a lot of flak for it at school. But now looking back at it after all these years, it does seem rather silly. :)

Jennifer Hillier said...

Sorry for the late comment.

This was a great story, thanks for sharing. I think that tree made you stronger, no? Taught you to defend yourself and your mother, and that's a beautiful thing.

My mom used to collect the little figurines that came out of the Red Rose tea boxes. She had like a hundred of them. When I lost my first tooth, the Tooth Fairy mysteriously left me one of those figurines. Hmmm.

EconomicDisconnect said...

Gawains, I am starting to believe you on those Cowboys!

David, yes the distance helps with the memory!

JH, thats very sweet by your mom.