My Little Batch of Sky: Back to December

Yesterday while I was at the park with my friends, Brian and the kids assembled and lit the Christmas tree in the family room. This morning while Brian mountain biked with his friends, the kids and I decorated the tree and rest of the house. Maybe the three of them will put out the outdoor wreaths, reindeer, and lights this afternoon. Our kids are so busy. We work them hard!

So as the kids hung ornaments, I sat back with my coffee and looked through the Sunday newspaper ads and wondered who buys the kinds of holiday home goods offered at discount retailers. I suppose I could go out to Target and get trendy, matching Christmas bulbs and mass-manufactured decorations, but it would feel so empty. I guess some people buy these things. Someone must or they wouldn't offer it. And maybe in a few generations, those items will be treasured heirlooms in those families. Here's hopin'.

For us, we enjoy the nostalgia from our heart-warming decor. Our holiday decorations aren't fancy at all, but most mean something to us. And thanks to modern technology, a camera, and apparently too much time on my hands, now you can enjoy them almost as much as we do.

Let's start with the tree, into which our kids put so much effort.

The tree itself is a hand-me-down from Brian's parents. It was too big for the living room in their current home so they gave it to us. It's 8 feet tall, has a gorgeous shape, and the branches go all the way to the floor. It's twenty-five years old, but they don't make 'em like they used to. It looks like a real tree, and we always get compliments on it even though the stand broke a few years ago and the whole thing came crashing down. Not to worry! There's an engineer in the house. This tree is literally standing the test of time.

As for the ornaments, I know it's not a very original idea, but we like to collect ornaments from our vacations. A few favorites are from Disneyland, Park City, Utah, our favorite beach in North Carolina, and a weekend get-away a few years ago for Brian and me to the mountain town of Dahlonega, Georgia.

We also have some vintage ornaments from our childhoods given to us by our mothers. I think this is our oldest ornament, which is from Brian's first Christmas in 1975.

I guess these brass ornaments were pretty popular back in the 80s because I have quite a few with my name on them and so does Brian.

Many of our ornaments were handmade by my mother thirty years ago. They're kitschy but will always be cute to me. How can you not smile at this little Christmas mouse in a raisin box?

Brian's mother gave us this antique Simpich Doll from Colorado. I don't know much about them, but I'm pretty sure they are expensive.

Then there are the ornaments that mark certain life events such as "Our First Christmas Together," which was in 1997. Look at those little kids!

Lots of people buy you ornaments the year you get married.

And when you have a baby...

And then again when your family is complete.

Besides the tree, we have some old nutcrackers from Grandma that we set out every year, and an authentic one that Brian's dad bought in Germany while on business many, many years ago.

This beautiful wooden plate, lovingly painted by my mother, is filled with cookies every Christmas Eve right before the kids go to bed.

Arguably the most meaningful of our decorations are our handmade Christmas stockings. These go way back. Way, way, back to the days of Bob, Sue, Brian, Mike, and Jason. GiGi knitted their family these stockings with each of their names, and every time there's a new addition to any of our families, a new personalized stocking is knitted.