Claire Kaiserman

The image is of four pine trees of varying shapes and sizes that are cut out of green leafy imagery and pasted with small brown trunks around a white page. The page has words cut out from magazines that read, “Pick out the tree” and is decorated with a small blue hand-cut snowflake and small hand drawn snowflakes in black ink.

Every year, my parents and I go to pick out a live Christmas tree to celebrate the holiday season. To me, this feels like a ritual of renewal because, no matter what has happened in the year prior, I am able to be childlike, joyful and spend time outdoors with my family. My mom and I are notorious for looking at every tree that will fit in our living room and comparing between our favorites before we pick out the winner. The busyness of the holiday season feels like it is on pause until the tree is strapped onto the car and we drive it home.