every day is Alex Asher Sears, Alexandra Wrote
‘Tis the season to be jolly, but why just one season? That’s what my grandmother would ask. If the spirit of joy, philanthropy and compassion came with Christmas, well, then every day should be Christmas. It was what she believed and the way that she lived. And it is why my mother grew up in a house with a Christmas tree that decked the halls year round. All. Year. Round.
I grew up celebrating Christmas and Chanukah, but ironically, it was years before we had a tree at home. My mother, who loves to throw a party for just about any reason whatsoever, never had much interest in holiday décor.
It must have been a sight to walk along the Malibu shore in the evening and see, in the picture window of that beachfront Cape Cod, a garlanded tree on display. In July. Tinsel and all. My grandmother may have had a flair for the dramatic - she was an actress, after all – but she was beautiful inside and out. Neither she nor my grandfather cared about race or religion. Character and kindness were what mattered to them, both personally and professionally. The tree, and the gifts it always held, wasn’t religious in any specific way. She didn’t think goodwill towards men, peace on earth and joy to the world belonged to any one faith. And they weren’t to be celebrated exclusively between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day either. Crystal and good china shouldn’t be saved for special occasions. Every day should be an occasion. 216
The Holiday Guide
I was almost ten before my first trip to the lot to pick a tree, see it tied to the top of the car and brought home to decorate, but only because my father wanted one. Growing up, he watched Chanukah candles glimmer and glow, but he longed for the smell of pine boughs across the mantel and a large Douglas fir in the den.