Sometimes 'things and stuff' are all about traditions and I want to share a crazy tradition that we indulge in on New Years Eve every year.
Twenty something years ago we were living in a little apartment in Orem just across the fence from the Timp Drive-in. I was still in school. Deni and Erin were small. Suzie and I were taking down Christmas and I was hauling the dead tree out to the dumpster. Yes, this was in the olden days before everyone had artificial trees. Our tree was tall and skinny and dry as a bone. As I was taking the tree out the door I said in passing, "this thing is a fire hazard!" The next thing I knew, Suzie was right behind me with a box of matches because she wanted to see how fast a Christmas tree would go up in flames. She can be kind of a pyro-maniac at times so Scott comes by it naturally! Any way, lets say that it went up so fast that it almost took off our eye brows! I looked at Suzie to say something about how crazy that was but I stopped.... She had a crazed look on her face that said "that was so cool" and I was a little worried. She said, "wouldn't that be cool to do on New Years eve? Kind of like burning the old year and having a great new year rise from the ashes like a Phoenix!". OK, I added the Phoenix thing but the rest was pretty close to the conversation. "Yeah" I said;"that would be cool" and a tradition was born!
We did this the first year with our friends, Brent and Suzanne, who happened to live in the same complex that we did and we have been doing it every year since. The first year was just a small tree, but over the years it has grown into quite the production! Now it is wired with fireworks and it is the centerpiece of our New Years celebration! We alternate houses each year and this year was their turn.
This is Tyson. He just got home from his mission so this was his first New Year in two years so the match box was passed to him to do the honors! It is kind of a right of passage...
Since none of us have a live tree anymore it is always a trick finding a tree to burn. There have been some great adventures.... We have gone dumpster diving at the park, picked up trees off the side of the road, bummed a dead tree off of the neighbors. One year Brent found a really great tree so he stopped and threw it in the back of his truck. He was so excited to show it off when he got home! He got out of the truck and went around to get the tree out... but it was gone! It had blown out somewhere along the highway on the way home! OOPS!
Holidays are a time for friends, family and traditions! All the 'things and stuff' that make life worth living!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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