I must confess up front…I’m sitting in a coffee shop on the campus of USC and it’s actually raining in LA today. My computer is fired up (like all the other studious patrons on site) and I’m sipping a white chocolate mocha with my sweet husband while we wait for our oldest daughter, Rachel, to complete a rehearsal. Rachel is an oboe/English horn player completing her graduate degree in performance. Her big graduate recital and concert are this weekend and we’re here to celebrate with her. Obviously, I’m not on campus today, but this won’t stop me from challenging 
you with a question anyway (and yes, it came from a student too)…
Rachel’s Christmas tree greeted us in her little LA bungalow. It most likely looks familiar to you (I’m particularly fond of the blue washcloth at the base). While her friends have interesting comments to make, this little tree conveys great potential and stands strongest as a symbol of, in her words, “treemendous possibilities, mom!” So, as you get ready to usher in December 2012 this weekend, take time to ponder this seasonal question: What makes a Christmas Tree so special to you and what is your favorite Christmas Tree story? Here’s hoping you always think in terms of TREEmendous possibilities!
Van Am Gram 
I didn’t grow up with a strong tree tradition because I would spend my winters visiting family instead of back home with my mom, so I remember years with giant bristling fir trees snuggled up against years where we decorated the weight machine and even a year where a homemade craft tree got tacked to the wall with a pile of presents behind it. (Oh, and the year that the goat got in the house and ate half the tree before we got home, that was a memorable one!)
To me, it doesn’t matter what shape the tree is, only that looking at it makes you smile and think of all the people you love during this holiday season.