I love everything about the tree ritual, from the two days we wait for it to warm up and unfold before adding lights, ornaments, the shiny silver tinsel.

All this took place under a canopy of silver tinsel, glittering plastic stars, and pink and white balloons.

A large puce Chinese lantern dangled from the ceiling and a silver tinsel Christmas tree stood on the coffee table.

Two wooden frames held blue bed sheet sails, on which clouds had been painted, aloft, while orange streamers and silver tinsel pinned to the wood fluttered in the cool breeze.

Lamps shaped like the head of Santa Claus burned on the street corners, and silver tinsel hung from the stoplights.

The waitress, who wore a bright red-and-green skirt edged with glittering silver tinsel, giggled and colored and smiled happily, and went off to get Wednesday another mug of hot chocolate.

Around his neck hung a garland of silver tinsel.

He looked ridiculous--dressed in silver tinsel, the shirt so tight over his belly I could see the indentation of his navel as his gut strained against the fabric.

It was almost bare but shiny slivers of silver tinsel still clung to the large blue spruce that lay on its side in the cold.

Most of the children were bundled in parkas, long johns and tights hidden by robes, wings fashioned out of cardboard and hangers, cowls and halos of silver tinsel.