We took our Christmas tree down last weekend, and I think that’s got to be one of the saddest rituals of the year.
When we decorate the tree in December, we’re preparing for a fun-filled season of celebrations.
Taking the tree down is not only a less fun chore, it’s also the physical reminder that all that socializing and holiday cheer is over.
I mean, have you ever heard of someone having a tree un-trimming party?
That got me thinking that maybe what we need to begin is a tradition of a January jazz funeral for our tree, doing a second line with it all the way to the chipper shredder.
One of the many things I love about New Orleans is the way they bring celebration to mourning, playing music and dancing in black down the streets to honor someone who’s died.
Losing a loved one is sad, but the reason you’re sad is that you loved having him or her in your life, so why not mourn and celebrate at the same time?
Here are two YouTube videos of New Orleans jazz funeral second lines, one for Juanita Brooks and the other for Ernest “Doc” Watson:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG6KH905cGU]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InqnQ8vU3DU]
It just somehow feels like the same mix of feelings I have at the end of the holidays — happy we had so much fun, sad they’re over, wanting to mark the occasion.