Christmas countdown: Ornament memories
Its a hodge-podge tree, but its ours.
Our first real Christmas tree and our first Christmas at home. Its a little bittersweet - I miss spending time with my family - but it is exciting to start new traditions.... And set up my own ornaments.
My Christmas decorations are few, but slowly growing in number. We've got a couple strings of lights, a tree, and our new counting snowman. Oh - and my sister gave Soren an Elf on the Shelf. At first Soren could have cared less, but now he has fun finding the elf - named Buddy - around the house.
We've had fun making a few decorations out of random craft materials - like popcycle sticks, googly eyes and pipe cleaners. Notice the cute popcycle Rudolph?
I've also tried to carry on a tradition my parents started where we each pick an ornament out every year. The little stocking above is from Soren's first Christmas. Then last year he picked out a glittery gold train with Nanna. This year he wanted just about every ornament we saw, but finally decided on the snowman below Rudolph. Frosty is a big favorite at our house.
None of them are flashy, but I've got a few of my own favorite ornaments on the tree. Each has a special memory of a good friend - like the tiny gingerbread men I made with Jenna our first Christmases as married women. We had none of our own decorations and no money to buy any. Her mom told us how to make gingerbread dough out of applesauce and cinnamon.
Over the last eight years, I've seen many a gingerbread casualty. There are only 2.5 left (There were three before Soren got to one this year!) Though small in number, those little ornaments still have the best holiday smell.
Then there are the pine cone ornaments that Colleen and I made from whatever random craft supplies we had around our homes in Savannah. We picked out the pine cones from the park near her house - on a walk with Willie and Leo, of course. Then went back to her house, rolled them in gold paint and hot glued on twine and ribbons. I still love them!
Now Soren has helped add more homemade goodness to our tree. I love Christmas!
Our first real Christmas tree and our first Christmas at home. Its a little bittersweet - I miss spending time with my family - but it is exciting to start new traditions.... And set up my own ornaments.
(Pretend the numbers say seven).
My Christmas decorations are few, but slowly growing in number. We've got a couple strings of lights, a tree, and our new counting snowman. Oh - and my sister gave Soren an Elf on the Shelf. At first Soren could have cared less, but now he has fun finding the elf - named Buddy - around the house.
I've also tried to carry on a tradition my parents started where we each pick an ornament out every year. The little stocking above is from Soren's first Christmas. Then last year he picked out a glittery gold train with Nanna. This year he wanted just about every ornament we saw, but finally decided on the snowman below Rudolph. Frosty is a big favorite at our house.
None of them are flashy, but I've got a few of my own favorite ornaments on the tree. Each has a special memory of a good friend - like the tiny gingerbread men I made with Jenna our first Christmases as married women. We had none of our own decorations and no money to buy any. Her mom told us how to make gingerbread dough out of applesauce and cinnamon.
Over the last eight years, I've seen many a gingerbread casualty. There are only 2.5 left (There were three before Soren got to one this year!) Though small in number, those little ornaments still have the best holiday smell.
Then there are the pine cone ornaments that Colleen and I made from whatever random craft supplies we had around our homes in Savannah. We picked out the pine cones from the park near her house - on a walk with Willie and Leo, of course. Then went back to her house, rolled them in gold paint and hot glued on twine and ribbons. I still love them!
Now Soren has helped add more homemade goodness to our tree. I love Christmas!
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