Tree

Last year in Japan we decided not to get an XMAS tree, largely because we were spending the holidays in the US and leaving to India soon thereafter. The year before, Kaia’s first XMAS, we were transitioning to Japan so there was neither a tree at that time. So what better place to introduce him to the annual ritual than here in India? Of course, there would be no going down to the corner tree lot, but finding a tree was not as difficult as I had imagined.

First we went to a shop that dealt in just XMAS items—decorations, artificial trees (fiber optic trees included), lights, etc—and judging by the prices ($10 for small string of lights) they are catering for the expat community. But I wanted a real tree, so Kaia selected a few ornaments (Styrofoam grapes and strawberries!) and we were off. In order to get a real tree, we had to go to the “agri-horti” grounds, which is basically a large commercial nursery. The plants here are well cared for and we were led to a small patch of ‘trees’ potted in one gallon plastic jug. Presumably, this is where the expats looking for ‘real’ trees are led to choose. After sifting through a number of leggy and malnourished trees that looked like something that the Grinch put a curse on, I was able to find one that looked like it would hold the weight of a few dozen ornaments. There would be no brilliant star on the top—alas, there was no peak point at all on the tree—but it looked hardy enough to last three weeks. While it was hardly a pyramid-shaped fir or powdered spruce, the tree would work. So I paid the $12 (quite high, no?) and they repotted it into a terracotta pot (how many XMAS trees have this as their temporary home?!?) and we were off.

A few weeks prior we had found a number of really nice ornaments at a local shop, so we already had plenty of things to adorn the tree with. Finally finding a purpose for the (typically) odd gift from my mother-in-law last XMAS, we placed a large cloth depicting the typical Santa scene as a skirt around the tree. From there, Kaia and his Grandme began to decorate. It is very special and memorable that Kaia’s first tree was here in India and that he was able to decorate it with his grandmother. No thanks to my craptastic camera (which I have wished I could hurl against the wall due to its shortcomings), I was still able to take a few photos that will be a wonderful keepsake.

Why I Love this Time: The fast and furious pace of vocabulary retention.