Christmas is a time of many traditions and a time to get out all of our holiday collections. We sit them on mantles and window sills, hang them on walls and in doorways, but most of all we decorate our trees with them.
Jim and I finally got around to putting up the tree last night. It's not the same without the children (I call them children, even though they're grown) being here to participate in all the excitement of the night. When they were young we would play Christmas music and Jim would bring out the big old box with our 30 year old fake tree in it and the season would start at that very moment, in earnest.
Last night as I opened box after box, I discovered many wonderful memories of Christmas past. There were the little glass drums that Jim and I bought for our first Christmas, 45 years ago. There were the ornaments that I had done in crewel work over a period of years and the fancy ornaments my mother had done by hand once while she was visiting us. There were also the little dolls (see a few of them above) I had collected over all those years, so many that at times one couldn't see the tree for all of them-- until I stopped putting so many on the tree. Now there's just the memories and Jim and me trying to have a Christmas party together. Getting old certainly has it's drawbacks.
The end result is a tree of beautiful lights, adornments and whispers of the past.
11 comments:
Ah, sweet memories from ghosts of good Christmases past.
I know your tree must be a beautiful tree of memories. Mine is.
It's amazing how one can forget all those special little pieces from one year to the next. It IS a grand treat to go through everything again.
I loooove your Christmas dolls!
It's true, those Christmas ornaments from days gone by can bring back so many memories!
We have "graduated" to a smaller true now that the kids are gone.
The ornaments are tucked away for another time, perhaps when hour home is filled with grandchildren at Christmas.
What wonderful reminiscences. ~ Deb
That is kind of how I felt when Bob and I were putting up our tree. We have ornaments that were my mothers as a child, an angel that I made in first grade, wonderful memories. I thought about them when I was hanging them on our tree.
You choked me up a little with this post as this Christmas we put up our first tree since our daughter moved to the west coast. each onament held so many memories that at times it was tough but I know we have so many ahead of us and am thankful to be here to share this one with my husband.
I wish I could have been there, and can't wait to see it. I love you guys. :)
I remember the drums well--they were our favorites growing up. Hopefully, you can find our old Christmas Village, too. And, of course, we all have great memories of that old tree--even though it was hard for dad to put up. I think we carted it around all the way from Alaska, didn't we? Growing up in the Air Force, our family traditions were some of the only things that remained consistent--and at Christmas, those momentos took on extra significance to us kids.
I can't wait to be able to do that. To open up my Christmas boxes and find our first Christmas ornament still nestled snugly in it's original box. I still smile now, but 40 years from now? Wow. A feeling I can't even describe, I'm sure. And all the little hand-made ornaments by my kids, who are now just babies but one day will have babies of their own....so nostalgic.
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