Sunday, December 02, 2007

O Christmas Tree



One of my favorite parts of the Christmas season is decorating our tree. Hanging from it's branches is a hodge-podge of ornaments, big and small, ordinary and ornate, new and old, but each one of them is beautiful and holds a special place in my heart. I love unwrapping them each year and remembering the significance of each one. The last several years I've wanted to make a special scrapbook with a photo of each treasured ornament and journal about the story behind it. That will happen...eventually...but until then, I'm going to share some of my favorites here.


John and I bought this one on our honeymoon in Boston in 1990. We celebrated 17 years of marriage this past summer.


This one was given to me by my family one Christmas. I was a teenager,and I guess I had been particularly grouchy and grumpy. They nicknamed me Oscar, and I laugh every time I hang this on our tree, and so do my kids!


This angel ornament is as old as I am. I received it on my first Christmas, and I think it is beautiful.


I bought this moose ornament on our vacation this summer in Grand Lake, Colorado. It is actually made of birch, but it looks like aspen bark...and in case you don't know I love aspen trees!


This ornament was a gift in 1971; I was one-year-old.


Our family bought this ornament in 2004, just a few months after John resigned from his job as pastor. It was a hard season for us, and we needed the visual reminder of HOPE.


My nana gave me this ornament when I was four. My sister has a yellow one. I always thought it was so neat because instead of hanging from a branch, the nest has a clip underneath and it appears to be resting on the branch. It is still one of my most cherished ornaments.


I made this one in kindergarten!

I have so many more I want to share! I think I'll post them in installments, so stay tuned!

8 comments:

Angie said...

I love the ornaments. I especially like the one you made in kindergarten. You looked like of your Abbey.

The picture of Will and Jack is great!

Girl Raised in the South said...

Loved your Oscar the Grouch - after 30 years, we have so many memories tied up in those ornaments, alas with a new puppy in the chewing stage they're staying in the box this year and we're going with just white lights. Hopefully by next year he'll be less oral.

Leah Belle said...

I love this post. What a great idea! I look forward to seeing more of your ornaments.

I may have to be a copycat and do the same on my blog sometime soon!

*carrie* said...

Mer,

I had so much fun looking at your ornaments and finding out the stories behind them. I'm the same way--unwrapping each ornament unwraps many memories.

You should totally play the ornament game. =)

Holly said...

I am coveting your moose ornament :)

Thank you for checking on me today! I will call soon. You have been a great "walking buddy." Thank you, friend!

Kelly said...

Such a neat idea to make a scrapbook of your ornaments and their meanings!

Joanne : The Simple Wife said...

Love this, Meredith. In fact, I'm going to have to steal your idea (but I'll give you all the credit!) for an ornament journal/scrapbook when I speak at MOPS next week.

Joanne

Jenn said...

When we go on trips the souvenir we always bring back is an ornament. I love this post, I may link to it, because what you said about your ornaments is exactly the way I feel every time I get ours out each year.