The Pear Tree

Several years ago, my Mom and I went on the holiday Parade of Homes in Jefferson, Texas. One of the historic mansions put on The Twelve Days of Christmas... each room taking on one of the days. As long as I live I'll never forget it: seven perfect little pastry swans a'swimming in pools of chocolate atop gold-rimmed plates. And in the hall, an actual pear tree had bows... and a partridge, of course... and took up the entire width of the hallway. I was spellbound.

Since that year, I've wanted to do the same. Only I don't have the money... or the desire... to go buy a thousand crystal pears. So we'll make do. We'll hoard plastic pears throughout the year, and then make a quick trip to Michael's for glitter and glue from the Martha Stewart Crafts collection. And when the table is cleared after Thanksgiving, everyone will glue and glitter until memories and pears are made and beautiful....

I was giving myself severe arthritis trying to be-ribbon the pears and get them on the tree before Christmas, never mind the partridge. But since I've learned that the Twelve Days of Christmas don't actually begin until Christmas, I'm taking it a bit slower....

Besides, they're so pretty just sitting here. Hmm. Maybe I'll do a partridge on a pear table, instead...