O Christmas Tree!

I love our Christmas tree!  Not the tree itself, but how it looks when it is all decorated and lit!  I was sitting in the living room the other night, looking at the tree and realized why I love it so much.  Memories!  That tree is covered with our memories.  We actually have had other artificial trees and got this one just two Christmas seasons ago, so the tree is relatively new.  However, some of the decorations are from the first Christmas that we were married.  The ribbons with Victorian, cranberry colored bows and violins are from that year and we have the original Angel, too.  We bought pretty, coordinating round, breakable ornaments and still have some of those and some artificial poinsettias that I broke apart and put gold glitter glue on that we use on the tree to fill in. I have memories of decorating the tree each year, wearing Santa caps, and playing Christmas music! 

Our "new" angel who watches over the tree

We began collecting Christmas ornaments in the first couple of years that we were married.  We had neighbors who had full collections of ornaments from their childhood days and we did not have any at our own home.  I decided to do that for our kids.  Now we have gone several years to the Hallmark store and picked out an ornament for each child.  When they were little I tried to choose a character that they had particularly enjoyed that year.  Now, they choose their own.  The other night we were looking at the John Deere tractor and the Care Bears, and Blue's Clue's ornaments from when the kids were preschoolers. We've had superheroes and princesses, ballerinas, Polar Express trains, and salt dough Christmas trees that the kids painted themselves. When we get them out and decorate the tree together I tell the kids about how much they liked those toys or characters when they were really small, if they don't remember.  They still love to hear stories about cute things they did when they were small!

More ribbon, Bumblebee Transformers, super heroes, princesses, & a small teapot from the babysitter

We also bring home ornaments when we travel and have many of those remind us now of fun family vacations!  A few years ago my grandmother decided to stop getting out a big tree and gave each of us grandchildren a box of her Christmas ornaments!  What a gift!  Memories are a priceless gift.  Enjoy making memories and remembering the past this Christmas season.  God always remembers YOU, that is why He sent Jesus!

A handpainted ornament from our niece, a family vacation picture, a treble clef for the music teacher, Mary & baby Jesus

Pink ballet shoes and a Barbie ballerina, snowman, the musical Polar Express train ornament, & more princesses

Somehow most of the ornaments in this area are from trips - Hilton Head Island, skiing in Colorado, Disney World, the Biltmore Estate.  One tiny white apple was from my grandma's tree