Tis The Season

My Christmas tree is beautiful. Why do I have a tree? Aren't I Jewish? Yes, I am Jewish by birth, though not really by belief at this point and I have a tree because they are pretty. This is the second tree I have ever had. I shouldn't call it my tree. I should call it our tree because it's for my girl and my sweetheart, not just me.
The tree is about 7 feet tall and perfectly shaped. It has clear lights, lots of ornaments, tinsel and a red and white skirt. A lot of the ornaments are new and shiny, but a lot of them are older and unique and belong to my boyfriend. He knows how to do up a Christmas tree. I'm kind of behind the curve in that area, seeing as how the only other tree I've really ever decorated was last year's and that was basically me doing it all by myself. I didn't even know to buy ornament hangers at first.
We never had a tree when I was a kid, not even a "Hanukkah Bush". That's such a blatant attempt to mimic the Christmas tree anyway.
So now I celebrate the season without much of any religious significance. I used to boycott Christmas because I felt it was a religious holiday and to celebrate it while ignoring the religious meaning was disrepectful. Now I don't care so much. I suppose I take a more pagan approach now. I mean, there is less than 9 hours of daylight here, and that's on days when the sun actually shines upon us. It's cold and dark, so why the hell not bring a little greenery inside and make it pretty and shiny, listen to and sing songs and eat, drink and be merry? Real winter kicks in from here on out. The daylight will increase, but the temperatures are going to drop and eventuallly we'll get ice and snow that doesn't melt away for months. We all ought to enjoy what we can while we can.