November 16, 2016 – “This year start a new tradition.
. .”
That
is the voice over of a current TV commercial that seems to be constantly on
lately.
The
TV advertisement shows a family taking their burlap balled Christmas Tree [securely
tied to the top of a luxury SUV] out to the country while their neighbors are
dragging their cut, dead trees to the curb.
You see a simple flash of a shovel and then you see the Christmas Tree
in the winter landscape [it has been magically planted in the frozen tundra] and
a small girl is putting an ornament on the magnificent specimen of a tree and
says, “See you next year.”
It
got my attention – not to buy the luxury SUV, or to locate a burlap balled
Christmas Tree, but to START A NEW TRADITION.
Yes,
that is what I need to do. I am going to
be going into semi-retirement soon and I think I need to cheer myself up
monthly as I go into this new phase of life.
My new tradition is – do something once a
month – a seasonal thing – a “grand thing” – that I can repeat for years to
come. Something I will enjoy to the
fullest. I took out a white note tablet
and at the top I wrote: Retirement Gifts to US at the top. Down the left side I wrote the months of the
year, starting with November and ending in October – spaced every other
line.
I tucked
that pad under the engagement calendar and went on with life. Several days later I was cleaning and reviewed
the many catalogs that have silly “wish” items.
When I clean to toss, I unfold the pages, to see what I have saved a
certain catalog for and usually toss them in the recycle box.
At
that moment on TV the “This year start a new tradition . . .” commercial came
on as I got to the bulb catalog. I stopped.
A
vivid memory of many years ago flashed in my mind . . . . .
Years
ago when we went to Europe on a company trip we did several countries and ended
up in Holland – the land of tulip bulbs and now that Christmas is coming next
month – the land of Amaryllis bulbs.
I
had the opportunity to window shop in several of the large cities on one trip:
London, Paris, Brussel’s, Eindhoven, and Amsterdam. What I noticed in Europe was that people
would be coming out of flower shops with a bouquet of fresh cut flowers in one
arm and a loaf of bread and a bottle of wine and some fruit in a fish net bag
in another hand. They were on their way
home and they had food for their body, but they also stopped to buy fresh
flowers - food for their souls.
It
was the first week of December and while my husband and I were window shopping
in Amsterdam I found myself in front of a large flower shop window that made me
stop in my tracks and just about cause me to press my nose against the window.
I
know you’ve seen those red Amaryllis that flower from a fat bulb at Christmas
time here in the big box stores. They
are great fun – always a welcome splash in a dreary winter. In the middle of a flower shop on a table
was a huge glass vase that held at least 4 dozen long stemmed red Amaryllis. It was as round as a bushel basket.
The
sight took my breath away. It was one of
the last days of our trip and we were camped out in a hotel for another
day. But, I asked my husband to wait a
moment, I wanted to go in and look at something. He peered in the window and certainly did not
want to follow me into a flower shop; He hung out in the damp cold and waited
on me.
I
walked in to look at this gorgeous sight closer – to experience it. The stems were slightly magnified by the clear
water that they rested in, but the stems were about 24 inches in length and the
blossoms were so incredibly fresh. I
walked slowly around the shop and around the table twice just to fix the
beautiful sight in my memory bank to draw on in future. I was looking for a price card and there wasn’t
one. I would have been curious how much per stem they were – if they were
similar to roses, or perhaps an orchid spray, but I never did find out.
The shop keeper was
busy with another customer and I strolled out. I really wasn’t “buying” – “looking”
was enough for me. Over the years I
have dreamed of having a dozen or two dozen stems of in-bloom Amaryllis on a
table in my home. It is one of those
fantasy dreams, but I don’t live in Holland where such a dream could easily
come true.
I
had found my item for November . . . .
I
unfolded my “wish” page from the catalog from Van Engelen Inc., a bulb
importer. [The link is below.] The Amaryllis bulb gift boxes are called “The
Art & Soul of Winter.” Yes, that
would be a wonderful respite for the Holidays.
A big pot with three bulbs in it and double blooms to brighten what will
most certainly be dreary days to come as the cold weather advances.
I
ordered them last week. Three fat bulbs
of Amaryllis SWEET NYMPH, Double Royal Dutch, Watermelon pink with darker
veins, arrived today by UPS.
I
will plant them this month and will have something to look forward to. Yes, I
like this NEW TRADITION – this is going to be FUN!
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