Kennesaw resident Sandra Barfield decorates up to six Christmas trees in her home each year. Here, she puts the finishing touches on the largest one in her living room.
Staff/Todd Hull
Staff/Todd Hull
“I decorate because of the tradition of it,” said Barfield, a Kennesaw resident. She is married to Zack Barfield and has two children, Mary Beth and Chad. Her husband is a Marietta native who graduated from Marietta High School in 1982. His parents are Margaret and Neil Barfield.
“For us, Christmas Day is an event,” she said.
“I am all about tradition. When I grew up, Christmas was a big deal. Christmas is all about family and coming together. It was a big deal in my house for the family to decorate the tree together. I wanted that to be a similar experience for my kids,” said Barfield, a native of Birmingham, Ala., who met her husband at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Ala. Barfield moved to Marietta when they married.
“(The trees) kind of evolved. I never intended to have every room in my house decorated with a tree but it ended up that way,” said the National Director of Training for Peak Campus Management, a national developer and manager of student housing.
“Christmas is a really festive time. I would (celebrate) year round if I could because it’s so pretty decorated. I love how we look forward coming home at night and turning on the lights,” she said.
The trees are situated in the main areas of the home such as the family room, on the loft overlooking the family room, and on a platform above the front door in the foyer. The Barfields even have the same tree that she and Zack used when they married 25 years ago.
Barfield begins the decorating process the weekend before Thanksgiving. “It will take me anywhere from a week to 10 days to decorate the house,” she said.
The tradition is part of the reason for Christmas. “During the holidays it’s important to focus on the real reason for Christmas which is the birth of Jesus. For us, it’s that one time of year when we know we’re going to come together. It’s all about family,” Barfield said.
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