Lynchburg Living

Editor's Letter

By Johanna Calfee

Hope. Peace. Love. Charity.

These are not just words surrounding holiday cheer–these were names of my childhood Christmas trees. Most people have fond childhood memories of a family ritual, routine or perhaps even a special gift given around the holidays. For my family, the tradition revolved around the yearly choosing and decorating of the Christmas tree.

As the oldest of three, I was forced to switch off the opportunity to name our tree every year with my siblings. Which, by the way, mom–since I know you’re reading this–I was never a big fan of this idea. Not bitter … just saying. Anyway, by the time my year rolled around, I was ripe with wish-filled names for the little Fraser fir that would soon fill our picture window for the next month and a half. Grace, Faith and Holly were just a few of my childhood favorites.

My brother, Jameson, on the other hand, always wanted to name our tree something a little, well … unusual. Whatever he was into when his turn came around to name the tree was usually what it was subjected to. The year he was all about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was particularly embarrassing for our evergreen. I actually think we heard “Raphael” whisper “thank you” to us for putting him out of his misery when we finally threw him out for curbside pick-up that January.

My kid sister’s names were always the best though. Being significantly younger than my brother and I, Lauren could barely even talk when her first year to name the tree came around. Being that her only useful words consisted of things like “juice,” “cat” and “Da-Da,” that fateful Christmas of 1989, our poor tree practically hung its head in shame at the moniker given it–Puffy. Named after Lauren’s favorite, well-worn stuffed animal, “Puffy” lived out his fate as proudly as any tree could while covered in bright-colored strings of lights and handmade kindergarten ornaments.

Whether your holiday traditions revolve around finding that perfect tree, decorating your home for the season, shopping locally for the perfect present or giving to a favorite nonprofit, this issue has you covered on where to go and tips to make it all come together while keeping the stress low. After all, the point of traditions is to make them memorable and enjoyable–even if that means your Christmas trees wind up with some pretty ridiculous names.

Happy Holidays,

Johanna Calfee