One of my very favourite things about Christmas is the tree - by a longshot. I have never grown up or out of the wonder, the magic, of the decorated tree. I love to see it lit up at night. I love walking downstairs in the morning and smelling the piney scent. I love to walk around and look at the decorations. No designer tree for me - ours is decorated with love and memories. And eventhough the actual put up and take down always seem to me an insurmountable chore, I love unwrapping the tissue and seeing my old friends:
I bought this the year we bought our house - which was also the year we got married. It looks nothing like our house. It looks homey, though, doesn't it?
This one I got in PEI this summer at the gift shop for the most famous lobster dinner on the Island. It's so famous I forgot the name. But the lobster was very good.
He doesn't look very Christmassy, does he? I love him though - he reminds me of Merlin. I am crazy for the Arthurian legend. Both Big C (middle name) and Little G (first name) were named after knights of the Round Table - who happen to be brothers.
When I first got this ornament as a gift, I thought he looked kind of creepy. He's grown on me. He's so festive! He is always placed near the front of the tree so that I can see him when I pass by. He makes me smile and do a little jig. (Okay, not really, but I do smile..)
My glass ornaments are very precious to me. I have no idea why someone gave me a teapot. I'm really more of a coffee drinker. I like this though, because it reminds me of Beauty and the Beast, and I always break out in a chorus of "Be Our Guest". And then I can't get it out of my head for a week.
Big C made this at daycare last year. Isn't he full of Christmas joy? Good times.
My mom made this in one of the Crafty Phases of her youth. Big C loves it. Little G will love it. I love it. And her.
I simply must have doves on my tree. This one is from a set of felt ornaments from the 70's. They have graced my tree for years.
My parents bought this for me in 1977. They bought us a decoration to commemorate each year and I am trying to follow that tradition. She usually hangs upside down in her swing. I have no idea how I managed to make her sit upright for the photo. It's a Christmas Miracle.
This is my Absolute Favourite. This was the first present I ever remember receiving. I was in kindergarten, and it was a Christmas present from one of the boys I went to daycare with after school. It's technically not an ornament at all. The tail is faded. The mane has been loved off. It is my Skin Horse. I would be devastated if it was lost.This is the first year that Big C actually "helped" me to decorate the tree. Every time he unwrapped an ornament, he shouted "HOLY MOLEY" at the top of his lungs. It was enchanting. I will be sad when we have to take the tree down. It's the physical representation of holiday joy to me. What's yours?
16 comments:
I really did a double take when I saw the little girl on the swing. I bought that little girl for my daughter, probably about '77 at that. Meeting of the small earth society or were there just a gazillion slave driven Chinese making them that year? Anyone else?
And am I with you on the tree. Hate putting up and taking down, love every minute in between.
It's my husband who shouts every year, while he tries to get the tree straight.
Great post! Thanks
E refused to help me decorate. Her words? 'You can do it by yourself, Mommy.' Then she went back to playing Scrabble with her father. I am alone, in this house, in my enthusiasm for the trappings of Christmas. (LURVE the teapot. PURTY.)
I love them all. I might have to do a post like this b/c I was simply riveted reading this one. Seriously, No-Mo, I think we should spend Christmas together at some point b/c each time you write a Christmas post (and I've been reading them for 3 seasons now), I feel as if I could have written it.
now be our guest is in my head...
I love your tree, and is a very wonderful example of why I want one so badly. Please tell my husband that we should have a tree, and that's it's perfectly ok, even if we'll never put the christ in christmas.
(sorry godly peeps)
Holey Moley indeed - I'm in love with that horse too. And now I'm racking my brains over which lobster dinner it came from... New Glasgow maybe?
I love my tree - like yours it's fully of old and quirky ornaments!
my tree is like yours, except my mom had a flood and a lot of the childhood ornaments (including, gasp, the same little girl on swing that Mary gasped at...guess they were big in '77) were lost. sniff.
the lobster suppers...New Glasgow? St. Ann's? they all think they're the most famous, you know. lobster. big egos. ;)
Those are some great ornaments! My daughter's obsessed with Christmas trees right now. Problem is...we're Jewish. No Christmas tree. Poor thing is left admiring the trees in people's windows!!! I'm decorating the house like CRAZY for Hanukkah to make up for no tree!
Pretty! I love Christmas trees - and I TOTALLY copied this post yesterday!
I don't actually have any treasured childhood ornaments - or none that I can remember. I DO have most of the ornaments from my grandmother's tree, which feels pretty strange.
I love this! Lovely ornaments.
OK. Mine's up.
I like this, to think that every decoration is important. That means more than some serious coordination, slick blue against mocha. WTF is that?
HOLY MOLEY! Gotta love that!
I think the Christmas tree is one of my favourite parts of Christmas too. We've stopped buying ornaments though because we have too many already and there's no way I can bear to leave a single one off the tree for a year.
What lovely ornaments! Thanks so much for sharing a bit of your tree with us. I hope you had a very Merry Christmas. :)
I love unwrapping the ornaments, too. It's like christmas is finally just around the corner, so even though it is work, it is exciting. I love lots of my ornaments, but perhaps my favourite is a brass Santa in his sleigh that my grandma had engraved with my name. i think I love it so because i could never find ANYTHING with my name on it as a kid.
But I can't believe you have glass ornaments! I have nothing breakable due to cats and then kids. Pumpkinpie decorated the bottom half this year, which was fun, and I am also buying her and the Bun an ornament each year and storing them in their own boxes to take with them when they go. I think that's a lovely tradition.
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