Monday, January 23, 2012

The Packer Tree



Our First Packer Tree--2012

This Packer Tree  (2013)  no longer sits by the 22 inch TV.  That died, replaced by a 40 incher! 

 I packed up our Packer Tree this morning.  The team is done, for this year at least, and I feel like I'm ready to move on to other things.  Oh, I'll watch the Super Bowl of course, perhaps not with the same passion I might have felt with Aaron Rodgers controlling the ball, but I'll be cheering on Eli Manning and his Giants while eating chicken wings and pizza along with the rest of America.  Tom Brady is much too pretty and the Patriots are way too cocky, so I'm really hoping New York will put them in their place.  But not that I'm thinking too much about it.  I decided this week that there will be no more football consuming my thoughts and taking up my time.  Taking the tree down should bring some closure to what was an exciting and emotional season.


A gift from a fellow Packer fan in Elmira.   We are everywhere!

The Packer tree went up after Christmas. As soon as the big one came down, we set the little guy up on the entertainment unit right above the old 22-inch television set that carried the games.  Larry found the topper to an artificial tree in the attic at the church and strung it with little green and yellow lights.   Then we proceeded to decorate it with all the Packer ornaments that we'd received over the past months, using a Packer towel for a tree skirt and a hat for the topper.  Beneath the branches,  surrounded by more Packer paraphernalia, sat a picture of Aaron Rodgers.  It was taken six or seven years ago when my brother Rex was in Green Bay visiting Zac who would eventually become our son-in-law.  Some who came to see the Packer tree called it our shrine.  When I told Fawn about it,  she merely laughed and said that her father and I were more consumed with this football stuff than she was.  Perhaps.  Nevertheless, we had resolved it would stay until the Packers were finished for the season.  Naturally, I had hoped it would come down in February.

Aaron Rodgers as a bobble-head, a gift for Larry's 60th birthday

Zac,  Rex and Aaron  
I had a dream last night about Tim Tebow.  So much for football no longer consuming my thoughts, huh?  With all the ESPN highlights I've watched over the past five months, I've seen lots of the Denver quarterback.  And though I'm not a big Broncos fan,  I really like this guy.  So in this dream, I'm hanging out with this person who looks and sounds just like the real Tim Tebow.  But as usually happens in dreams, he is suddenly gone, and I wish that I had thought to grab my camera and get a picture with him.  Ahhh, a sad reminder that I never asked to have a picture taken with a certain Mister Rodgers at my daughter's wedding.  And that was real life.
This one was captured by a friend with  "the claw" at a local convenience store
I never understood why some people go into a slump after the football season wraps up, surviving only by counting the months, weeks, days until it starts all over again. I mean, it is only a game.  Speaking of football, I've been thinking that our little Packer Tree should go up a bit earlier next year.  Before Christmas rather than after might be better, and we could enjoy it longer that way.  Or maybe earlier yet, like halfway through the season, say in early November.  On second thought,  perhaps we should just go ahead and put it up in September when the season starts. That would make more sense.  Better yet,  if it was up during the preseason,  everybody would know how serious we are about our team.  Let's see, that's only six months, a week and six days after the Super Bowl is over.  But then, who's counting?  


Fawn and Zac sent this one to us--from the Pro Shop at Lambeau Field
Charles Woodson as a Hallmark ornament


4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great story Marcy, as usual. I always enjoy your blog. This brought a lot of smiles to my face. You are no talented. Love You...Barb

Pastor Larry said...

I laughed through this entire story. This will be a part of our story as we live it out year after year. Thanks Packers, especially Zac, Fawn and Aaron! Yes, to Debbie who has given us so many 'things' for our tree from her collection. I'm ready for our second season! Now where did I put that tree stand? Larry

Mike McGavisk said...

Marcy, thanks for the entertaining look at it all. I have to say that some of us have their Packer shrine up all year already, so please feel free to join us.

SIR THOMAS said...

entering football season is a fans right to be excited ,for any sport and season for that matter ,,but a true fan of there team or teams is thinking and talking about them year round so put the tree back up and be proud of your choice.