When I was growing up the Christmas tree wasn't just a decoration sitting in the corner; it was the main event. While my sisters and I slept on Christmas Eve, Santa decorated the tree with cherished ornaments, iced sugar cookies, candy canes, ribbon candy, and popcorn balls in colorful cellophane wrappers. We saw the tree for the first time when we woke on Christmas morning and it was often difficult to decide where to look first: at the shimmering tree or at the gifts clustered beneath it's spreading branches. Once we had opened all the presents and the excitement was over for another year, the perfect tree continued to offer little gifts of sweets and treats during the entire twelve days of Christmas.
