O, Christmas Tree!

Every year I find myself coveting. As in the "Thou Shalt Not" kind. I covet people's Christmas trees. My friends put up the most elaborate trees with matching ornaments. Some are blue and cream, some are gold and red, silver and gold, blue and silver...you get the idea. Some have themed trees. My sister in law once had an M&M tree that was so cool! My mom plans to do a "Blues" themed tree this year. One friend puts up a Penn State tree in one room, and a Disney tree in another. And all I have is this one tree, with ornaments that are a mishmash of years and Christmases gone by. And while I may covet the neatness of other's trees, the fact is that I do love my tree. Each Thanksgiving weekend, I look forward to putting on the Christmas music, rearranging the furniture and unpacking all the ornaments. Each ornament brings back memories, and each memory is something very special. I don't think I'd get that half as much if I suddenly invested in all matching ornaments.

Here is our tree...
And here's a closer look at the ornaments that make it so special.

This is a stuffed "Mountie" that my mother brought back after a trip to Canada. She was traveling quite a bit for work back then and had started picking up little bears for Eddie everywhere she went. We have bears now from Japan, Australia, Singapore, London and of course, Germany.


This isn't an ornament at all. It's Amy...from the Holly Hobby collection. It was mine when I was a little girl. My parents used to put it in their tree to take up some of the empty space toward the back...I kept the tradition...

A friend I used to work with made this ornament for me when I left the company to go to Nursing School full-time. Every year when I unpacked this particular ornament I would feel a little bit of a sting, given that I never finished. I changed gears in a major way, so last year I told my husband I wasn't going to put it up any more. He said I should put it up anyway. It's funny how life moves along and sometimes things come full-circle...more on that in a later post. :)

"Our First Christmas"...as a married couple, Christmas 2000

From another one of Mom's travels...this one from Holland (the windmill really moves)!

This one has been a little bit of a joke between my husband and me. We call it "Santa in the Avocodo". Why? Really, why is Santa in an Avocodo? And why do we keep putting it on the tree?

From Emma's First Christmas...

Another one that isn't really an ornament. Back when Isaac was taking flying lessons, I gave hime the gift of more flight time (Most flying schools and airports will give gift certificates...if you're looking for a gift for the pilot on your list). Rather than just giving him the gift certificate, I wrote it all out on a ribbon attached to this little plane...you know, like a banner... It became an ornament!

From Eddie's First Christmas...

This was from the tree we put up when I was still living at home. Mom and Dad gave my brother and me both a few ornaments from the "home" colection when we moved out.

This one, well...it really has no earthly business being on a tree. What is it anyway? A gypsy wagon? Oh well, it's ours and we like it!

Some people bronze their kids' baby shoes. Not us! Those too, have become ornaments for us!

Isaac made this one years and years ago! Well, he painted it anyway...I don't think he was using a router and saw at that age...

And this one commemorates Isaac's proud service in the US Air Force. Something that has shaped his life and one of the many, many reasons I adore him.

Thanks for sharing a little bit of my Christmas preparation with me! Stay tuned as I document my Christmas shopping adventures (just kidding)! :)