New Traditions

Ian turned to me at Thanksgiving dinner. “Dad, when are we going to put up our tree?”

With the thought that live trees are best left to enhance nature, we have an artificial one and its wear was clear. Sandi bought it second-hand almost 35 years ago, and broken twigs with thinning needles were now the rule. We’d made do with strands of garland tucked into the thin spots; however, its lifespan was nearing an end.

But, children on the autism spectrum don’t deal well with change. Instead of viewing structure as confining, these kids see it as reassuring. A new tree might not be welcomed and could deprive the holiday season of traditional warmth.

“Guys, I have some bad news. Our Christmas tree is tired and needs to rest. We have to buy a new one.”

“Get another tree?” James sat up straight, his eyes serious. “What about our old one? It won’t be Christmas.”

“It needs to retire.” I spoke to each boy in turn. “We’ll donate it to the barn and they can use it for the jumps. You’ll see it every week.”

They didn’t object. So, on the first weekend in December, we went shopping and came home with a new tree.

James studied the box with a skeptical eye. “Will this be as good?”

“We’ll do our very best.”

For the next few hours, we trimmed and decorated, like we did with our old tree, but this time was different. The fresh needles left no holes to fill and hanging the decorations with eye-popping results was almost too easy.

James turned out all the lights except the tree and stood beside me. “You know, Dad.” He rested his elbow on my shoulder while we admired our handiwork. “I think this tree is going to work.”

William R. Bartlett lives in Belton with his family.