When I was a kid we would go to the Festival of Trees every holiday season and I would admire all of the perfectly decorated trees with their specific color themes and not one light or ornament mismatched or out of place. I would think to myself "When I am an adult and I have my own tree it will look like one of these." Not this mismatched hodgepodge of a tree that always adorned one of my parents' homes. But then something happened as I grew up. I learned that every mismatched hodgepodge of an ornament has a special place in your heart, and on the tree... if you do it right. When my grandparents passed away, the only physical things I wanted of theirs were some of the precious ornaments that I grew up placing on their tree year after year. No tree could have had a more extensive or eclectic mix of ornaments. And none felt as much like home. The traditions that tied me to that tree were rich and deep. My grandparents' tree was much like my relationship with them. Something I grew to appreciate more and more as years went by. All of this is not to say that our tree doesn't have its share of generic Target ornaments. Or that I don't still insist on white lights over colored. But there are those ornaments that I take out of the box so carefully and with great delight. Feeling like I am reuniting with something truly special each time I do.
One of the newer ornaments... I co-created this with Grant when he was about 6 months old.
My favorites of my grandmother's ornaments. This is one of 4 that clip in the branches over the tiny lightbulbs.
Another from my grandparents. I know this one is very juvenile. It was my absolute favorite to hang when I was a kid. I refused to let anyone else touch it.
And one more from Grandma's collection. One of her many many antiques. I fish you a Merry Christmas. ;)
May your tree also be merry and bright and full of a lifetime of ever-growing happy memories.
