We went with Blue on the Christmas Tree This Year

I still claim there are two ways to decorate a Christmas Tree. 1) The family heirloom tree, decorated with treasured ornaments from Christmases past. 2) The theme tree, decorated with a premise or color scheme. Our family generally does the latter. Themes from years past include: white lights with gold ornaments; red wooden snowflakes; a purple light tree; oversized red balls; silver and white. This year we decided on blue and white lights with blue balls and silver snowflakes picked up on K-Martclearance last year. Dad did the lights, Lincoln put the star on top and helped place balls on the tree, Liberty helped place the balls (she could reach) in the middle of the living room, and Mom correctly adjusted the ornaments.
Blue is not your traditional Christmas color, the tradition limited to red and green and maybe gold, (Gold and it’s cousin frankincense are technically Epiphany colors) leaving blue out in the cold. I did run across this in William Sandys’ 1833 book Christmas carols, Ancient and Modern. It’s the only mention of anything blue in this book of 100 carols:

The fire with well-dried logs supplied,
Went roaring up the chimney wide;
The huge hall-table's oaken face,
Scrubbed till it shone, the day to grace,
Bore then upon its massive board
No mark to part the squire and lord.
Then was brought in the lusty brawn,
By old blue-coated serving-man;
Then the grim boar's-head frowned on high,
Crested with hays and rosemary.

This carol celebrates the Boar’s Head Feast. Little did you know that this feast is probably the oldest continuing festival of the Christmas season. I knew little of the feast as well until I pulled it up on Wikipedia and found that the festival dated back to the 1300’s. Lords and servants alike, gather together to feast and tell the story of the Nativity. The height of the evening being when the dining guests watched the boar’s head marched through the hall. Oh to be present in the fire-lit hall on Christmas Eve when the blue-coated serving-man triumphantly brings in the roasted boar and everyone cheers! What a celebration!
Although we may have a Blue Christmas without you, Christmas should still be a feast. At Christmas we gather one and all to celebrate Life and Light. We experience first hand the goodness of God. His Son is given, born in a manger that we might:
Taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed are they who takes refuge in Him.
Psalm 34:8
The Christ-Child enjoyed every meal and song and color of life, because the Son of God took refuge in His Father in Heaven in all things. We pray that God shows you His goodness this Christmas as you take refuge in Him.
May your taste and see the goodness of God the Father.
May you be blessed by every carol and meal, may you enjoy the fellowship of family and friends, and may you learn to love all the colors of Christmas.
We take refuge in the Lord, we relish in the Gift he has given, and we are thankful for all that God has in store for you and for us now and in the year to come.
To you and yours at your feast,
Caput apri defero,Reddens laudes Domino!
Benjamin & Kristl, Lincoln, Liberty