When we were first married we were visiting an American friend of ours living at the nearby base. It was December and they had a massive tree full of all sorts of muli-coloured and shaped ornaments. Some of which my mother would have deemed 'tacky.' I grew up in a house that had colour co-ordinated trees - a new theme and colour scheme each year. But as my American friend and her kids pointed out their favourite ornaments on the tree I began to see the appeal: each of these treasures told a story.
A family holiday to Disneyland.
Grandma Ruth's first bauble.
A skiing trip to Whistler.
I wanted our tree to tell a similar story.
And so (even though Christmas is over for another year and I spent an hour yesterday wrapping them all up in tissue) my precious is our growing collection of Christmas tree decorations - each with their own story.
We painted these gingerbread men on our
Three Year Anniversary trip to Howarth last July. My regular followers will be aware that my husband is a very loyal Club Brugge supporter. Not very festive, but hey ho...
Next up is our personal fav - a camper van from California. Two summer's ago we spent an amazing three weeks road tripping round California. Now it wasn't quite in a camper van, but we picked this up in a store in Julian all the same.
Lastly another of my favs. Can you guess where we got this? I like that it has the the spiritual side of Christmas as although we are not Catholic - we definitely celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.
We weren't even going to get a tree this year - as we were away visiting for most of the holidays, but then I found my bag of treasures and knew that we could not resist the trip down memory lane. Every year we build up a few more and I can see it becoming a favourite family tradition.
Linking up with the lovely Sian over at
From High in the Sky. A great new idea for the new year...feel free to pick your precious and join us. It's a bit like show and tell!
Yes, show and tell is a great way to describe it!
ReplyDeleteMel, I'm with you all the way on this one. Our tree is full of individual treasures and I wouldn't have it any other way. That camper van decoration is brilliant! Thanks for the peep into your tree treasures. It's great to see you storytelling in 2013
I have a selection of christmas tree ornaments that all have a story to tell as well.
ReplyDeletea lovely collection Mel and one that will only continue!
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ReplyDeleteThose are wonderful tree ornaments, Mel. I always give my two daughters a new tree ornament each year. Even though they are now both in their thirties, they really look forward to them. I like that yours have been purchased on your travels and therefore have their own story to tell.
They are lovely decorations and it is great to have a tree with such stories and memories, whether it coordinates or not :)
ReplyDeleteI love Christmas trees that have significance rather than just random decorations. Some of our decorations are over 60 years old and still precious. Thanks for sharing your story. When I read that you'd bought the camper trinket in Julian, it immediately reminded me of the time we visited there.
ReplyDeleteWe have given each of our children a new ornament every year on Christmas Eve and have tried to make them reflective of what was happening in their lives. Eventually when they leave home, they'll already have a collection of their own! And yes 90% of our ornaments have a story!
ReplyDeleteI love that your tree is now going to be full of memories - mine has always been so, and my most precious decorations are now a little "worn" shall we say? - but sadly in 2012 I wasn't able to use many of them as they brought rather too many tears. I have high hopes of next year though. J xx
ReplyDeleteThat's the beauty of Christmas ornaments---the memories they evoke. I especially like the one you and your husband made. We did that for our first Christmas together in 1971--no money, so we bought a kit and decoupaged some. They are some of our favorites still. Thanks for jogging my own memory! And thanks for stopping by my blog! I've added you to my list and look forward to your posts.
ReplyDeleteI have a tree full of treasures and memories too so I know just how precious yours are. Keep collecting.x
ReplyDeleteOh yes, the more variety hanging on the tree, the better as far as I am concerned. That camper ornament is adorable!
ReplyDeleteLove that little camper van!!
ReplyDeleteWe are totally the same & have a christmas tree full of treasures each sparking wonderful memories x
ReplyDeleteOh yes! I love a tree full or history. We do the same thing and now our tree is burgeoning under the weight of all our treasures :-)
ReplyDeleteOh how lovely Mel - I've always wanted my tree to have a story. I've just stopped buying ornaments as all of our boxes are full - and we're currently not having a tree. If you've only just started this will give you a head start on a Christmas Ornament album full of stories - I've been meaning to finish the four I've started for some years... Perhaps this series will give me the motivation?
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