Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Our Ornament Tradition

Now that I got that out of the way...

We decorate our tree with ornaments from places we’ve been, vacations we’ve taken, and any other ornament that might represent something special that happened that year: a move, a birth, a birth, a move, a birth… you know. Each year we also have a special ornament that gets a “place of honor” on the tree just below the homemade hand-tied bow that adorns the top. If you have a minute, I’d like to share some of our ornaments with you.

Jeff and I started dating in 1996, I told him I wanted a "First Christmas Together" ornament for my tree. Let me tell you about my tree, too. Jeff picked out my tree and chopped it down himself. It was a little tree off his grandfather's land. So much love in that little tree. Awwww.... (Yes, it's a picture of a picture, get over it... my scanner's busted! LOL!)

I also need to back up for a minute and say that Jeff and I pretty much knew within the first two weeks of our relationship that we were going to eventually be married. It was just one of those things… we just knew. So, that’s why I wanted a “First Christmas Together” ornament. Basically I was starting our ornament tradition. Here’s the ornament he picked out as it hangs on our tree this year:

Good job, huh? Sweet and cute. There used to be a hanging heart made of moon cheese right above the mouse heads, but it was broken off somewhere along the way… I’ll give you three guesses, but you’ll probably only need two. LOL!


This ornament was picked up on an anniversary trip to North Carolina.

We toured the Biltmore Estates, stayed at a cute little Bed and Breakfast in Maggie Valley, and lost about $100 in 20 minutes in Cherokee trying our luck at gambling for the first time (thou shalt not gamble again). We found this ornament during one of our touristy shopping trips. The picture is a symbol for the Trail of Tears.

This next one is a favorite of mine; a picture from the day we brought Nathan home from the hospital. I was thrilled to be able to get it as an ornament. My sweet little boys… don’t you just want to pinch those cheeks?!


Another good vacation to remember… Kauai, Hawaii!!

One full week – no kids. This was our 5th anniversary trip. We took it knowing that we were wanted to have a second child and that we wouldn’t have much alone time together then. Nathan was conceived one month after the trip, so it was a good thing we went when we did! It was wonderful. So much greenery surrounding everything, gorgeous blue water…mmmm… I’d love to go back. It was so relaxing. How will we ever top that vacation? I have to start thinking of where I want to go for our 10th anniversary!!


And this year’s honorary ornament? When I saw it… I had to get it. I didn’t care the cost. Does it look (kinda) familiar? Every morning the boys pile into our bed one by one in the morning. Great family memories!


Oh, and my homemade hand-tied bow? Here’s a shot of it. It’s about 5 years old now. I think it’s holding up pretty well considering I did it! LOL!


Happy Holidays!

1 comment:

Lisa said...

Your tree is great!
Most of our ornaments are reminders of trips or special memories, too. It is fun to pull them out of their box every year and remember the good memory associated with each one.
And, many of mine have broken along the way too.