The Tree Goes Up!

After rummaging through the crawl space for our Christmas boxes (Craig did that part!) we discovered that a few boxes had gotten wet and mildewed--including the box with our homeade stockings! Too sad since Emily made them when she was 12, but in our memory they will stay, for sure!

Each Christmas when we open the boxes and the kids start decorating, I am amazed at how many years Craig and I have done this together. All the memories of years past are contained in those boxes and it never fails that I find myself with a catch in my throat as the ornaments are taken out one by one.

For the last few years the ornaments have hung like a fringe around the bottom of the tree simply because Aubry was only able to reach up a couple of branches, but this year she was aware that even spacing and color distribution makes for a lovely tree. My heart was sad, but I know that grandchildren will come along in some future day and create the wacky-looking tree I mistakenly thought that I would be glad to say good-bye to!

My favorite ornament is this one simply because it reminds me that Craig and I are the ones who started this little adventure we call family, and that it is through sticking together that the years add one upon another and end up being a lifetime:

When my oldest girls were young we made these teddy bears for our own tree and also for friends--it was like a teddy bear assembly line!

This is our cat who parked herself under the tree as soon as she could and just waited there until we went to bed. In the morning there were ornaments scattered around the room, evidence of the kitty Christmas party she evidently threw while we slept!

Deb and Morning Glory are both hosting ornament show-and-tells! Thanks, ladies!