2024 Christmas Tree No. 2
The second of the 2024 Christmas Trees is a palm tree on a tropical island. Because who says that a Christmas Tree has to be a certain type of tree?
When I was trying to come up with something different for the second tree of the 2024 Christmas Trees, I wanted to do something a little different. All of the previous Christmas Trees, both from this year and 2023 have been somewhat traditional trees. Well, maybe not the Tiki Christmas Tree, since he was a Tiki, but he still had the traditional shape.
So then I started thinking, “Does it have to be a fir tree?” Nope, it does not. In my office space, I actually have two artificial palm trees with Christmas lights on them, so why not draw that? Yes, similar things have been featured in a couple of commercials, too. So I can’t take credit for the overall idea.
You might be thinking, “How do those Christmas lights get power on that island?” And if you were not thinking it before, you probably are now. I thought about drawing in an electrical outlet that the lights plug into, but that would still leave the question of how power gets to the outlet. Maybe that is something that only us electrical engineers think about. But for this art, I decided not to think about it. The lights are on, and that is enough. Do not overthink things too much.
All Alone?
What if you were all alone on that island, with nothing but a Christmas-decorated palm tree (and a mysterious power source) to keep you company? In some ways, it would seem rather nice. No one to bother you. No one to get on your nerves or cut you off in non-existent traffic. No social pressures, no one to compare yourself to and try to keep up with fashion.
But sooner or later, it would get rather lonely. You would have no one to talk to, no one to love, and no one to love you. We need that interaction with others, even when we think we are fed up with it.
We need people to love, and we need people to love us. If you do your part in loving others, then others will love you in return. It is a basic human need, so help others by loving them.
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. - 1 Peter 4:8-9 ESV
About the Artwork
Yes, I did use the same star brush for the stars in the sky that I used on the previous tree. I did not feel like drawing all of those stars individually. That was partly because I had already drawn all of the Christmas lights individually. I don’t think I could have found a suitable brush to draw those.
This art was drawn using Adobe Fresco and an Apple Pencil on an iPad.
