Pear Tree, No Partridge

When I was little, my dad would take a couple days to decorate the front of the house for the holidays. There were colored lights twined among the columns of the porch--bulbs were bigger in those days, and multi-colored, and they didn't blink or sing or dance, so the the effect was much quieter than today's lively displays. I remember gathering greens in the woods to make two big heavenly-scented wreaths for the front windows; underneath each wreath was a row of electric candles. And over by the light post that lit the front walk were hand-painted plywood snowmen and a Santa and his sleigh. You could see the Christmas tree through the window. There was snow if it was an early winter, and everything sparkled. It still does.