How about a caption contest for the first photo?
My friend Kristin in Florida looked at my blog post Absent Friends Not Forgotten at five am Thursday.
Was she ever surprised.
She sent me the photo on the right of her college ring (U of Florida) in the exact same ceramic box.
No, we did not give the little boxes to one another.
A friend drove over from Morristown to Morris Plains (New Jersey) today. It’s where I spent a decade of my growing up.
Photographed this evergreen for me. Sent me the photo. Between 40 and 50 feet tall now. Wow!
I was wondering if it was still there after all these years.
We had a live tree with the roots encased in a burlap sack just that single year. I remember how we watered it and of course it was really heavy to get out of the living room.
Usually we’d get a cut tree, close to Christmas Eve. You know the ones- sometimes hard to get level in the metal stand or the base of the trunk is too thick so you get a metal bucket and some rocks, the fresh trees that drop needles before Epiphany, or you grab the trunk and are dripping with sappy gum. These real trees evoke Christmas of yesteryear with the pine fragrance. Not a candle or soap or air freshener. True woodsy clean fresh pine along with a tangerine peel says Christmas to me.
This Christmas tree was planted behind St.Paul’s Church in Morris Plains where our dad was the rector. We lived in the Rectory across the street.
The photographer prefers anonymity to a photo credit but I’m grateful for the effort and can’t wait until my brother and sister see this magnificent tree. Thank you.
Happy memories. 
The Hendricks Family Christmas (1963) Tree today. 2-10-19