As I decorate the tree for Christmas it amazes me how the tree really represents my adult life. I have ornaments from my early twenties that my husband and I hand painted—wooden cats, we were too broke for anything else and at the time I thought he was perfect just like our ornaments.
As years went by I joined the Disney Ornament Club. I could hardly wait each month as a new “piece” would arrive. Then in my thirties I received the lovely and I have to say the most precious handmade ornaments by my kids. Handprints with their photo and name on it, or the lovely popsicle snowflake with way too much glitter or wads of fabric and buttons that they don’t even remember what it is and I have to tell them “that is a car.”
I also acquired beautiful ornaments from my previous job as a product development director, several are fine china and are exquisite and cost quite a bit. I found that I started putting these “named brand” ornaments in front of the tree and pushing the handmade gems in the back and forget about the hand painted cats, I didn’t even put them up any more.
So this year as I pull the ornaments out I started to think what was important to me. The popsicle snowflake is right in-front—what a show stopper. And for the wooden cats, they too have come out of the box this year. Yes I see the fault in the painting we did all those years ago, however the love is still there, so deep and true—isn’t that what Christmas is about?
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we are celebrating Christmas in Graeagle this year. I am bringing up a small sample of ornaments to decorate the tree. I am leaving behind all the beautiful handblown ornaments and bringing only the broken, chipped and handmade ornaments by the kids. They might not be as ornate but they are beautiful.
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing such a great blog.
Merry Christmas.
Diana
As usual you know just how to express the thoughts and feelings that make our journey's through life special. I look forward to opening and placing each ornament on the tree. A few years ago I got rid of all the cheap meaningless ones and now all of them are treasures and memory sparks. I have some that my grandmother made for my Mom when she was a child. I started giving a new ornament to my boys each year for them to take when they move on.
ReplyDeletePhil put up the lights on the house and our neighbors are so excited that we still do it. It makes them feel so good to see it. No one else on our whole block does any decorating. Christmas for me is a marker for the year. Last year we didn't have any energy to any decorating because of Phil health at the time, but this year the boys are so anxious for us to get a tree and do the traditions we always did. I'll put on the corny christmas music and have them come over for food and decorating the tree. Savoring each memory each ornament brings back.
Love ya,
M