Sunday, November 29

o christmas tree...family version

Our "big" tree is in the family room. It is a real tree - yes, we trudge around with the kids, spin it, test it for width, straightness, and a million other factors and then just pick the first one anyway. :) Luckily, the weather was AWESOME this weekend, so picked a winner without a lot of frustration & freezing.

It is not your typical designer tree, because that's just not how we do it around here. Every single ornament on that tree tells a story, and hopefully someday my kids will be groaning "I know, mom, can we just hang it or do we have to hear the story AGAIN?" And because I don't want you all groaning "enough already" I decided just to post a couple favorites.This is a clay dough ornament that my aunt brought back from Ecuador for me when I was 2-1/2. Her face is a little cracked, but she's holding up pretty well!!

Ornaments bought at the Eric Carle Museum on our big trip this summer. Special vacations earn special ornaments. (From past years we have a Scottish flag, boots from Fort Worth, starfish from Seattle, Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, etc.)

This was a special present to my husband the first Christmas we were together. We'd been dating about a month. The ornament is a cocoon, and I wrote something cheesy (let's be honest) about how I hoped our relationship would grow. Luckily it did. :)

I just crack up at this one - it was from my son's 2nd Christmas, and this was his favorite song to sing! (Just the fa la la part, of course.) We're going to try and teach it to Abby this year.

We have a few of the Hallmark ornaments - a drummer boy for my son, a Fisher Price Family Farm - we have hearts & pregnant mama ornaments when I was expecting the kids - glass globes with pictures inside - a glass cube with roses from my wedding bouquet - snowmen with our names on them - glittered preschool picture - and so many more. I love that our tree is a mish mash of memories - even if it makes the kids groan someday!

How do you decorate your tree? Do you have a favorite ornament?

3 comments:

MaryAnne said...

All of the ornaments on our tree have a story too - I like it that way =)

Lisa @ Life with 4! said...

Those Eric Carle ornaments are great! Our tree is definitely a "homemade" tree... just full of things that the kids have made. Even some ornaments are ones that I made as a kid!
I did a post about it last year... "Our homemade christmas tree"

I wouldn't want a fancy, designer tree with matching ornaments and tinsel. I love pulling each one out of the box and remembering special moments with my family!!

Maggie said...

Oh Beth I love it!!! Your tree is beautiful, I think a tree with ornaments that tell a story is the only way to have one!!! Thanks for the great comment on SP&C... I will definitely have to go to the Arboretum in the spring, now that we can get the "pass" we won't have to do the hit and miss thing trying to get there for 1/2 price Wednesdays anymore!!