Widow's Voice

The Trees of Christmas Past and Future

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This week I was able to head two hours north to retrieve my Christmas items to bring them to their new home. It is exciting to decorate and enjoy the holiday season in a new space, especially one that lends itself so perfectly to the season. Even without snow, a log home sets it self up for a “Hallmarky” vibe without much effort.

Three Christmases ago, Rich had purchased his dream tree, a seven and a half foot prelit beauty with five different lighting modes. He got to enjoy it on our first Christmas in Georgia in 2020. By the Christmas of 2021, however, he’d just passed 7 weeks before the holiday and as I’d written in previous posts, to fill that void I’d welcomed an 8 week old puppy into my home on December 9th, which just happens to be today. Happy “Gotcha’ Day” Little Q!

First Night in San Diego with Quint.

Quint loved hiding under that tall Chistmas tree, fascinated by the lights. But when I learned a puppy had been electrocuted by Christmas tree lights I unplugged the tree for the remainder of the season and put away that tree for good, or so I thought.

I’d also recalled that when I was five, a little kitten had taken down our family’s entire tree with a huge crash, so the following year I purchased a nice table top tree and was able to position all of the tree’s wiring out of Quint’s reach. It did not have the same WOW factor, but it gave me peace of mind that my dog would be safe.

Now both of them are on display in the log home in Florida looking better than ever. Q is kept off limits to be clear.

To add to the “newness” of this holiday,  there is a small thrift shop here in Crescent City that I love and I’ve purchased many ornaments and decorative items there to put a local touch on the decor making new traditions.

This past week, during my  Christmas Retrieval up in Saint Marys, GA, I stopped by the Tinsel Trail located in the beautiful historic downtown district. Along the riverfront, a trail of trees are on display, each decorated by a local group or organization. One of them is adorned by The Mermaids of Osprey Cove, a water aerobics group. As a still-active at a distance member of that group, I participated in the decorating last year, but this time I just stopped to say hello and admire their work. The Tinsel Trail is a charitable event and once again, due to a strong collaborative effort, the Mermaid Tree looked stunning all wrapped up its aqua and seafoam oceanic hues.

Little Otis on the Tinsel Trail adding canine support

It isn’t  an easy holiday season for my family.  My father passed in the spring of this year, and my mother is in long-term sub-acute care in New York, so staying positive and healthy involves a concerted effort. But, each day this new place brings a measure of peace and joy. Blending the old with the new, is a helpful way to honor the past while forging a new way to embrace the holiday season and beyond.

 

About Lisa Begin-Kruysman

Originally from New Jersey, artist/writer/blogger Lisa Begin-Kruysman now calls Southeast Georgia and Florida home. It was during a road trip in October 2021, when she and her husband Rich, who served militarily as a Navy Corpsman, were returning south after celebrating their 25th Wedding Anniversary, that he became ill, passing just three weeks later. The author of several books, including Dog's Best Friend (McFarland & Co. 2014) mostly inspired by the special human-canine bond, Lisa serves on the Board of Directors for the Dog Writers Association of America and now returns to blogging posting for Widow's Voice with the intention of sharing her personal experience of widowhood with those who know the struggles first-hand and to perhaps help those who struggle to understand the daily challenges facing those who've lost a spouse or significant other. She is currently writing a memoir about her Widowed Experience and the comfort she has derived from her relationship with dogs.