As promised, here is the start of my quickfire Christmas blogs. Over the next four days I will be releasing a Christmas themed blog every day. The first blog is about the ancient and beloved institution: the Christmas tree, so let's get into it.
Oh, Christmas tree, Oh, Christmas tree
The Christmas tree can trace its origins back to ancient times, when people hung evergreen boughs to ward off ghosts and spirits during the winter solstice, as the trees stay green all year round. The Germans are credited with the concept of the modern Christmas tree, where Christians brought in trees lit with candles or made wood pyramids. Christmas trees are also grown in every state across America. So everyone loves a good Christmas tree, but the colourblind have thought a little differently (well, at least I have).
If you are colourblind you hear people bang on about the beautiful colours of Christmas, and the wonderful reds and greens and how it is such a wonderful time of year. That's all well and good, but to most of us colourblind folk the colours of Christmas are a lovely deep brown, with a sprinkling of brown. And every December our families drag in a brown shrub of a tree and decorate it with brown tinsel and tell themselves they have done a good job. No, you haven’t, it's a brown tree, decorated with brown balls with weird baby photos on them, get over yourself! Yeah, colourblind people aren’t real fun at Christmas, are they? Maybe that's why I don’t get invited out a lot.
Real or Fake?
Ok, I normally keep politics out of my blogs, but I like a fake Christmas tree. I know, I know cancel me if you want to, but hear me out. Everyone likes a green Christmas tree, because all the plants outside are brown and dying, but for me every plant is always brown and dying! Spring: brown, Summer: brown, Autumn: brown, and Winter: brown. I don’t need a reminder in my home that because of my condition I have been trained to think the world is brown and dying - adding to the deep, dark hole inside me that can never be filled. Yes, I am a product of my environment, or (a thought!) maybe I can wear my colour corrective glasses.
I digress. With fake trees you can get loads of different colours. (Personally, I'm lobbying for a blue tree!) You can get ones with fake snow, ones with built in lights, the possibilities are endless.
Also, it's reusable. Just because it's Christmas, doesn’t mean you should harm the environment. So reduce, reuse, recycle and be considerate to colourblind people.
Alright, that is Christmas blog number one, but expect number two tomorrow! I know I got a little heated there with the Christmas trees, but I think we can all agree to disagree on that one. At least now you know why the colourblind person in your life doesn’t really want to decorate the tree, because to them, you are just making one brown mess.
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