Last week I promised that I’d be posting a Christmas craft idea, but I realized that today is November 30, which means that the next day is December 1, and that’s the day I want to pick up our Christmas tree. And I am oddly excited about it.

I really can’t explain why the holiday madness has struck me so early. This is unusual. Normally I’m the kind of person who is scrambling to buy presents the week before. This kind of self-imposed stress makes me hate Christmas a little bit; the parking, the slush, the crowds, the malls, the same songs over and over and over. It’s a wonder that all this stuff doesn’t turn me into a Scrooge, permanently.

But this year is different. I’m not sure what’s changed. Maybe it’s because I’m trying very hard to be mindful and not let it slip away from me. Perhaps that’s why I’m keen to get the tree so early. It’s become a big part of the Christmas ritual in our family. We get a real tree every year. (Mess aside, I’ve never understood the appeal of the fake Made-in-China tree…. but feel free to enlighten me in the comments below!) We’ve never gone to a “chop your own” farm either. We prefer to frequent roadside lots with their bundles of frozen evergreens. (Most notably, Ikea’s.) Somehow we’ve managed to snag a perfect tree every time.

Like many families, we have an array of ornaments that would make your head spin. There is no clear theme – colour or otherwise – just a ragtag collection that would mean little to anyone outside our family. I love every single one of them. Each one tells a story.

One of our newest ornaments is a shiny green tin pickle. I’ve read that some people have a special pickle-related Christmas tradition in their homes. The pickle ornament is hung late on Christmas eve; tucked deep within the branches. The person who finds it first on Christmas day gets a special treat. Isn’t that funny? I think I’ve found myself a new tradition.