We put our tree up this week, but since Wally and Theo were busy with their own lives, it was just me and Ward working on it. And mostly just me. What all of this means is that I lacked my usual audience to tell my stories to about each ornament that we have. Remembering where we got everything and sharing that with the rest of the family is a long tradition of mine. Since I didn't get a chance to do that with them this year, I'm going to share a few of our decorations with you. I've done this in previous years on this blog, so if you happen to be "busy" when it's time to read this post just like my family happened to be this year I'll understand.
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| Ward and I got married at Thanksgiving and our friends used Christmas decorations they found in the local store to decorate our car. This bulb was one of several that filled our back seat. Thirty five years later, we have five of those bulbs left. Make that four. I dropped one and broke it this year. :( |
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| The next year when we had our first tree, my aunt sent us a dozen handmade ornaments to help us get started with our collection. This was one of them. |
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| We have several places represented on our tree. WV, of course, where I grew up. |
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| Virginia, where Ward grew up. (That's a state quarter in the middle.) |
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| and Texas, where Wally and Theo spent their early years. |
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A Zulu doll from Ward's cousins in South Africa.
Notice in the background is another doll a friend brought me from Mexico. |
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| The dinosaurs get hung on the tree every year. These were a gift to Wally when he was a toddler. |
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This is a knitted cover over a clear bulb that a friend made for us.
Some day when I get all coordinated, I'm going to try to make some of these. |
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| Every year the leader of our book club gives us something for Christmas. This year it was this reading snowman. I smile every time I see his happy face. |
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| Last year we had a craft party to make these origami stars. Mine didn't quite turn out, so my friend made me several that I have placed around the tree. |
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| This God's Eye was made by my nephew. When he was young, he detested anything that involved fine motor skills. So when he made this for us, I was very touched because I know it took tremendous effort for him. |
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| And the tree wouldn't be complete with the apples we hang around the bottom for the cats. They bat them off the tree and chase them around the floor. The apples act much like ping pong balls and the cats love them. Every day we do a roundup of the apples and put them back on the tree. |
So there's a small sampling of my stories. Thanks for listening.
What a beautiful tree. I loved the stories! Merry Christmas from Yvonne in WV.
ReplyDeleteHi, Yvonne. I'm going to be in WV after Christmas, but I don't think I'll make it down your way. Clendenin is as far south as I think we'll make it. Here's hoping there's good weather that week, so we won't have to alter our travel plans. Happy Holidays!
DeleteNice stories that you shared. Now we know just a tad more about you and yours!
ReplyDeleteLot's more where those came from. However, I'll try to capture my boys at some point and make them rehear some the stories.
DeleteThanks for sharing. I was wondering if the cats had their own ornaments on the bottom branches!
ReplyDeleteNot only do the cats like to play with the ornaments, they like to sleep under the tree. They feel hidden and our skirt is a nice, soft, felt one. Except Annie. She's not sleeping there this year because she's still adjusting from the move. She rarely comes out of the basement and then it's just to the top of the stairs to tell us she's hungry.
DeleteSo sweet that each ornament has a story! I haven't had a Christmas tree since I was a child, so the only ornament story I have dates from when I was about 5. After my parents divorced, my mother decided to "compensate" us for the loss with pets, one of which was a little black kitten that I named Samantha. Sam's first Christmas was memorable to be sure! I believe she sent the tree crashing to the ground half a dozen times - that was the last year we had a real tree - and she made very quick work of the beautiful spun silk handmade ornaments that my dad's mother had given to my parents years before. My mother packed up all of the demolished ornaments and swore us kids to secrecy so that Grandma would never know. So I had to chuckle at your special cat ornaments, and I'm amazed that they don't reach any higher than the bottom branches! :-)
ReplyDeleteThey're older now, so they're not as playful and they don't bother as much. Our first cat, Samantha, used to climb up into the middle of the tree and sit. Luckily, she was very careful and never knocked it over. When the cats were younger, a lot more ornaments came off the tree than the apples. Some years, we didn't put anything breakable on the tree. Now the breakables are at the top. The cats love the Christmas tree and it's fun watching them with it.
DeleteThank you for sharing the stories behind your tree ornaments! I loved reading about them, because I, too, have some memories behind some of my ornaments. I love the yarn snowman your aunt made! And the idea of putting the apples on the lower branches for your cats! I think I will share some of my ornaments on my blog, too, if you don't mind.
ReplyDeletePlease, share. I'd love to see them.
DeleteOh, great idea, with the apples on the bottom of the tree. Max the Naughty Cat was having lots of fun this year with a red ball glass ornament until it got moved. One year he chewed on my little kilted guy ornament from Scotland (or was it the British one he nibbled? Hard to remember his many sins ...). I guess it was made out of clay and he couldn't help himself. We have gotten to the point where we don't need to put the breakables at the top of the tree to avoid little hands, but our feline still makes us feel like we have a small child around.
ReplyDeleteI think I've told you this before, but I love your "real" tree. It's pretty when people do a themed tree, but ornaments from your life bring back happy memories. :)
I'm with you. I like themed trees, but if I'm only going to have one, I like it filled with special memories including the ones about what the cats have done with the tree.
DeleteHow old is Max? We have three geriatric cats here now, and while they occasionally bat at the ornaments or chew on something, they are much tamer than they used to be.
That's a great idea, putting the apple ornaments around the bottom for the cats. I'm going to do that next year for mine.
ReplyDeleteNow that would be a show--watching all of your cats playing with their ornaments. :)
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