Reactions

Reaction to our stick:
Samuel: still thinks it's the prettiest tree around
Sophia: could care less
Gabrielle: thinks it's cool because its unconventional. This is the kid that wears black on Valentine's Day and the opposing team's colors on spirit day at school.
George: thinks it's a bit crazy and misses the smell of pine.

Me: Well, I still like it. It actually looks better at night, with all the lights out in the living room. It's kind of rustic. Even a bit artistic.
But I find myself a bit sad. Not because of our lack of an evergreen but because of people's misunderstanding of our stick and what that might do to our sensitive boy. This year Samuel welcomed the stick into our home. He thinks its cool, even beautiful. He hasn't bought into the idea of doing things the way everybody else does.
I know that most people would walk into our home, take one look at our stick, laugh and think we are the nuttiest people around. I'm alright with that. The pressures to conform are huge. If Samuel had wanted a real tree, I would have jumped up and bought one. But he didn't, he wanted our sweet little stick.

So this year, we will enjoy being a bit different. But, I need to remember that doing things like everyone else is ok. I am not any better because I have a stick instead of an evergreen. Having salmon instead of turkey for Christmas dinner, doesn't make me more valuable in God's eyes.

I know why I have a nonconformist type of attitude. I'll blog about it soon. Sorry, dad....