Some Christmas tree ornaments do more than glitter and glow, they represent a gift of love given a long time ago. ~Tom Baker
My son and a couple of my granddaughters came to visit Saturday night and helped me decorate my Christmas tree. I’m not a tree in every room big Christmas decorator. And usually I’m not this early with getting up a tree, but I was happy to have help. Now I’ll get to enjoy the tree all through December.
When I was a kid, we always had a Christmas tree, but certainly not one we ever bought. We had plenty of cedar trees growing on the farm. So a week or so before Christmas, Dad would chop one down and bring it in or if he didn’t get around to it as soon as we wanted, we’d go out and find one and do our own chopping down. We wanted a really green one and we put it in a bucket of water. Cedar trees dry out fast. Especially when you put then up in an old farmhouse that’s heated by a wood stove.
Fast forward many years and in spite of knowing my father would have thought it a monumental waste of money, I bought an artificial tree. After all, we still have plenty of cedar trees. But the artificial tree is easier. You can leave it up longer. It doesn’t shed needles. Well, only a few plastic ones now and again.
Decorating the tree takes me down a memory trail as I hang each ornament or watch the grandkids do it. This year I told them a few of the ornament memories. There’s Molly on her red pillow. Molly wasn’t my dog, but she lived across the road with her buddy, Kasey. Every time I went outside to take a walk, the two of them would come running to go with me. I sometimes took care of them when their owners were away and so one time the owners brought me an ornament that was like Molly and another like Kasey. They’ve been on my tree ever since.
Then there’s the little boy with the puppy, a Hallmark decoration. My mother gave that to me after my first grandson was born. Each time I hook it to a branch I think of Mom and remember her love.
And of course, I have to hang the Santa frame with my first granddaughter’s picture. Her mother gave me that ornament back when that granddaughter was my only grandchild. Naturally, that’s a treasure.
Do you like the gingerbread man? A church friend made that one year in Bible School out of cinnamon. The plan for was the youngsters to make them, but things got too busy or crazy for the kids to do it. So this sweet lady made a few and gave them to the teachers. I never expected it to last, but here maybe twenty years later, the gingerbread man still graces my tree. Pat moved to another town and another church, but every time I hang that little gingerbread man, I remember her enthusiasm and Christian love.
I have a few decorations that my own children made when they were young that find a place on the tree even though they are a little worn by the years. I have decorations I’ve carried home from various trips that bring to mind the place visited and the fun had. I have decorations that were gifts from one of my Sunday school kids. Other decorations were gifts from friends and family. And I always perch a number of birds around the top of the tree simply because I like birds.
So my tree ends up lacking a consistent theme, but then again maybe it does have a theme. One of memories and love.
Do you have memories attached to some of your Christmas decoration?
As always, thanks for reading.
Comments 22
All of the ornaments on my tree are personal. Some were my husband’s when he was little, some have been gave to me from my students (I’m a teacher), some are handmade by my daughter and I and every year we get a personalized Christmas ornament with our names and the year on it.
Treasured ornaments adorn our tree each year, each with a special memory. My adult children now adorn their trees with ornaments that include ones they made at church, school, home or that were made for them by friends or teachers. What fun it is to take a stroll down memory lane as we decorate the Christmas tree each year.
No, all my Christmas ornaments that had memories were destroyed by my ex. My mom used to make me one every year but isn’t able to any more. Merry Christmas 🎁🎄
Author
That’s so sad, Lucy. I know you treasured those ornaments your mom made. Two things nobody can destroy are the good memories you have and the love your mother has for you.
Every ornament on my Christmas tree has a story. Last year I took photos of many of my ornaments and wrote their stories so that one day when I’m no longer here, my family will know how special each one is… ornaments my daughter made in school, crocheted & quilted balls made by my grandmother, red bows made from the pew ribbons from my wedding 32 years ago, and icicle ornaments I made from the beads of my mother’s and granddmother’s costume jewelry…I could go on and on. Mine is definitely a “memory” tree.
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What a great idea, Donna, to take pictures and write the stories and history of your ornaments. I’d love to see those icicles you made out of your mother’s and grandmother’s costume jewelry. Another great idea. Memory trees are the best.
As I read this I wondered if you had somehow lived in our house and I didn’t know it. Almost identical memories of cedar trees and hot living rooms that dried them out but you didn’t mention a bucket with rocks that was used to hold the tree straight up. As a young bride, I struggled with those rocks and that bucket and I have even been known to tie a string on the tree and tack it to the wall to keep the tree from toppling.
Thanks for reviving those memories. The ornaments will be another day.
Blessings!
Connie
Author
Oh yes, all of that, Connie. I too struggled mightily with that bucket of rocks. We didn’t have crushed rocks or gravel, just field rocks. You had to figure out the right ones to make the tree balance in that bucket. Then you wanted to be sure that bucket didn’t leak. And if the tree was in the corner, a hardly to be seen string was an extra security device to be sure the tree didn’t take a topple. Of course, you could also use a red string. 🙂 Festive, you know.
My tree isn’t up yet. I had a houseful of rambunctious grandsons this past weekend, and haven’t yet found the time to decorate. But I have memory ornaments from my grandparents, along with those from my kid’s younger days.
Several years ago I made memory boxes for each of my 4 children for Christmas. I included a few ornaments for each one and photo albums of their childhood. Two of my daughter-in-laws really loved them, as they were expecting babies and creating their own family traditions. Those babies were both born on Christmas Eve that year!
Now I have a much smaller tree that’s beginning to fill up with grandkid’s ornaments. All these stories make me want to decorate tonight!
Thanks for sharing Ann! I love reading your posts and all the comments.
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I’m not sure rambunctious grandsons are the best help when it comes to decorating a Christmas tree, Lavon. I wouldn’t have wanted to try it was mine when they were young. How nice of you to take the time to do those memory boxes for your children. The year after my mother died, I picked out something from the things I kept from her house and gave all the children and grandchildren something that was hers. They had already gotten some bigger things, but these were keepsakes. Whether they keep them or not, I don’t know. But they seemed happy to get them at the time.
I hang a small Roudolph ornament that my mother got at Montgomery Wards when he first became popular I believe it was about 1946. It was for my little brother, I treasure it because both my mom and my brother have passed on and when I hang it I shed a few tears in their memory and their love.
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How very touching, Donna. A precious ornament that awakens precious memories.
Our son is 35 years old and married. Our first grand baby was born in 2017. We still have ornaments that our son made in elementary school. Precious ornaments and precious memories. 🙂
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I love those handmade ornaments, especially the ones made by kids. I also really like those ornaments passed down through the generations. Someday, you may have some special ornaments made by your grandchild to hang on the tree. I have one of those. I hope it found its way on my tree this year. I’ll have to check. With several hanging ornaments, I didn’t see every one.
Thank you, Ann, for that wonderful story. I too have a tree that is filled with memory ornaments. Each one has a story.
Author
The very best kind of tree, Blanche. At least to my way of thinking. How blessed we are to have stories to share.
My cousin brought back a wooden,carved Nativity ornament after he visited Israel which I enjoy , there’s also Dorothy ornament from the Wizard of Oz , that is special to me because I loved the Wizard of Oz so much growing up; and finally, there are a couple handmadr ornaments on our tree that my great grandma made which are absolutely beautiful !
Thank you so much for sharing some of the stories behind your special Christmas ornaments, Ann! Your stories made me smile and warmed my heart. Merry Christmas, friend! 🎄Matthew 1🎄
Author
Merry Christmas to you too, Emily. Thanks for sharing about your special Christmas decorations. One from Israel, one from the Land of Oz and those of your great grandma’s all sound like they definitely should have honored places on your tree. If I ever did live in a big enough house and had an oversupply of energy to put up more than one tree, I’d have one with all birds, one with dogs, and one with memories. But since I don’t have a big enough house and definitely not enough energy, I just put them all on the same tree. Works for me.
My husband and I will be married 35 years on the 8th. We started buying ornaments with the year on it that year.Earlier tonight I hung number 36 up. We also have First Christmas ornaments for each of our three children , plus an ornament for our Angel baby Heather.We have ornaments that was made at school when the kids were little.We have ornaments that were gifts. We have ornaments with the grandchildrens name on them.Yes, like yours, our tree is a memory tree. Merry Christmas!
Author
It sounds like a beautiful memory tree, Lisa. Such a blessing to be able to add that new ornament celebrating the blessing of another year together each Christmas. Merry Christmas!
I have an artificial tree too, one with many, many branches, tips, etc. so I can hang over 700 ornaments on it…most are unique and definitely come with many memories attached. I am a bit sad this year, as we aren’t decorating due to several circumstances…my husband’s health, looming kitchen renovation after the first of the year (and, I don’t want to have to be putting decorations away when needing to empty out kitchen cabinets! But probably the best reason is that my granddaughter’s cat is residing with us while she heals from wounds suffered while she wandered “somewhere” for four months! When a kind soul took her to a vet in a city 45 miles away, they read her chip and reunited her with our granddaughter. But she had to stay inside while she healed and our son is allergic…so…we got the luck of the draw and have her with us! Granddaughter is able to feed her and tend to her needs because they live next door. But, I don’t think that our tree would survive this cat! She is something else…so it is probably good that I had already planned not to decorate before she “found” her way home! But I miss my decorations and am finding it hard to get into the Christmas spirit! Enjoyed seeing your tree!
Author
I joked on my Facebook page that I might just print out a picture of my Christmas tree from some past year and hang it up in the corner instead of going to the trouble of decorating again, Lois. Sounds like that might be what you actually needed to do this year. Or maybe just find you a little glowing tree to substitute for the beautiful tree you usually have. 700 ornaments. Wow! That must take you a while to decorate and undecorate.
I hope your husband’s health improves and the kitchen remodeling goes well although that kind of thing can be a hassle while it’s happening. Of course, it’s usually wonderful when it’s finished and everything looks great.
The cat sounds like an adventurer and one that is going to make the month memorable. If only she could talk, there’s no telling the experiences she’s had while on her wandering journey. Cats and Christmas trees don’t always mesh and from the way you talk about this one, I’m seeing her climbing that tree if she got the chance.
So, you do have very good reasons not to put your tree up this year. But the years zoom by fast. Before you know it, the cat will be well and back with your granddaughter, the kitchen will be just the way you want it and it will be Christmas again with that lovely tree gracing your home.