Mom's 'snow'

With the small snow storm we had recently, it started out with coating the branches of the pine trees, just slightly. It looked like you had taken a sifter with powdered sugar and had gently shook it over the trees. It wasn't windy, so it stayed for a while.
It brought to mind the 'snow' my Mom used to put on our tree after it was brought into the house and set up, but before the ornaments were put on.
She got a big box of Ivory Flakes and somehow mixed them with water to make this 'snow' to put on the tree. It was marvelous! Talk about magic for a kid to see. We weren't allowed to help, and she was so smart in that, and it fell to her to do this every year.
The snow was so much better than that tinsel stuff.
Eventually we discovered that Mom had an allergy to pine pitch so no more fragrant pines brought into the house. We got one of those 'fake' trees. This was when they were still new on the market and no one looked down on you for having a fake tree. The one thing I am grateful for was that it wasn't one of those aluminum trees. I love the smell of pines. Even if we couldn't have a real one anymore, you could still see the green and imagine.
We never had a star for the top as I was given a post board image of Jesus as a young boy with a pine tree over his shoulder in chatechism. That was our tree topper every year from then on.
When Dad's house burned, we were all afraid of what we wouldn't find. My brother handed me an envelope while we cleaned the house out for inventory for the insurance co..
I opened it and there was my tree topper. I started to cry. I was so grateful that Mom had thought to put it in an evelope instead of with all the other ornaments. I still have it and will continue the tradition.
Thanks Mom for the marvelous, wonderful memory.
Wonder if Ivory flakes are still available.