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Yes, it's blocking a door way and I'm not even going to go into why...When I see my tree I don't see a beautiful tree with a color scheme with sparkling ornaments and flowing ribbons...
When I look at my tree I see years...
family...
memories from my childhood...
friends...
in the form of ornaments lovingly placed on the tree in clumps by my children.
A good many of the ornaments come from my Ornament Exchange Group. And so it makes perfect sense that I would have a picture of the group as an ornament.
Then there is the tree skirt which goes back many many years. The pattern is from... are you ready... my mom's sister's mother-in-law. My mom had one and took it apart and used her pieces to make the pattern for my sisters and mine. There are many woman out there with this tree skirt all connected by this one lady who went to be with the Lord many years ago. And that makes it even more lovely. 
This little glass angle is surrounded by a string a pearls. I don't know if you can see them, but they came from the veil my mom wore on her wedding day. I love it.
This little picture and frame sat in my grandmothers house for as long as I remember going to visit her in Alabama. She gave it to me last year and I of coarse made it an ornament. It's my sister and my thumb prints.
Then I have some fun ornaments too...Like Troy here, because nothing says "Fa la la la la" like the Cowboys. And lets face it. You can take the boy out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of the boy!!!
Then there are the fun ones that we have picked up over the years that help me remember what stage of life we were in at the time.
I made these ice skates for our exchange one year. 
But they were patterned after these which hung on our tree when I was growing up.
As did this...
And this. When I got married my mom gave me my box of ornaments that she had collected for me over the years. I have thoroughly enjoyed them and I'm doing the same thing for my kids as well.
My uncle made this broken glass Christmas tree for me. Many people on my dads side of the family have them hanging in their houses too.... Family....
It sits on the mantle above the stockings that we got at Walmart back a few years ago. I was going to make stockings for everyone using the stocking I had as a child as my pattern. But I can't. The year we bought these $2.66 stockings was a really tight year for us. I can still remember us all at Walmart together trying on Santa hats...and buying new lights for the tree and laughing. I can't replace them. It's a reminder of how our memories are not tied up in the "big" things we get at Christmas...but in the times we share together as a family. Even at Walmart...
And then there's Dixie. She's been gone for 3 year now but still a huge part of our memories even my kids. We just couldn't leave her out.
The blue wreath came from the Great Minnesota Get Together or the MN State Fair. We went every year, sometimes more than once. And I will go back again someday.
And of coarse we have the 1st Christmas ornaments for all our kids...
This was the 1st ornaments we bought as a couple. It's Rainbow Row in Charleston. That is where Coach grew up and also where we spent the 1st few days of our honeymoon.
So you see, when I look at my tree it's more than ornaments and decorations... 
My uncle made this broken glass Christmas tree for me. Many people on my dads side of the family have them hanging in their houses too.... Family....
It sits on the mantle above the stockings that we got at Walmart back a few years ago. I was going to make stockings for everyone using the stocking I had as a child as my pattern. But I can't. The year we bought these $2.66 stockings was a really tight year for us. I can still remember us all at Walmart together trying on Santa hats...and buying new lights for the tree and laughing. I can't replace them. It's a reminder of how our memories are not tied up in the "big" things we get at Christmas...but in the times we share together as a family. Even at Walmart...
And then there's Dixie. She's been gone for 3 year now but still a huge part of our memories even my kids. We just couldn't leave her out.
The blue wreath came from the Great Minnesota Get Together or the MN State Fair. We went every year, sometimes more than once. And I will go back again someday.
And of coarse we have the 1st Christmas ornaments for all our kids...
This was the 1st ornaments we bought as a couple. It's Rainbow Row in Charleston. That is where Coach grew up and also where we spent the 1st few days of our honeymoon.
So you see, when I look at my tree it's more than ornaments and decorations...
It's history...
Mine and my husbands...
And our kids...
5 comments:
Beautiful true ... beautiful stories ... beautiful heart. Thank you for sharing with us!
Stephanie, you made me get all teary! What a beautiful tree, and what beautiful memories and traditions are represented there! Thank you so much for sharing!
Any chance of another post about why the tree is blocking the doorway? Sounds like there might be a story in that! :)
love this post! i love getting the ornaments out of boxes every year and remembering where they came from- the places we were, the phase of life we were in... another wonderful part of Christmas!
I loved this post. Sunday afternoon my siblings and I are going to my Dad's house to go through my Mom's Christmas decorations and split them up. This is our first Christmas without her and it is so hard. I know that looking at all her ornaments will bring joy along with sadness.
This post brought tears to my eyes (for real). So sweet! I love...I TREASURE memories and traditions. The part that got me the most was the tree skirt story and the ornament made out of pears from your mother's wedding veil! This will be my 7th Christmas without my mother. Each year I open up my Christmas stuff and I see things she made or gave to me...and I am grateful for these tiny treasures that are FILLED with sweet, sweet memories!
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