I do not have a "pretty" Christmas tree. There's no fancy ribbon on it, I don't have a theme, and my lights work sporatically in different sections, resulting in a weird blinking/no lights pattern. I like to think of it as whimsical.
Yeah, that's it!
What my tree lacks in beauty, it makes up for in sentiment. I'll never have a pretty tree, because I think my tree is pretty darn special. We've got handmade ornaments not only from Caleb, but from Matt and me as kids as well. There are photo ornaments from various years. We have ornaments marking special occasions. Decorating the tree every year is like a walk down memory lane, and I love it!
On the nights when Matt is gone and Caleb is asleep, Abby and I have been hanging out by the tree and spending time looking at the ornaments. She really loves to examine each one, hold it in her hand, maybe shake it, and occasionally...throw it! (This happened last night and resulted in one less red ball on the tree!)
Here are a few of the ornaments that spark a memory or have sentimental value.
Yeah, that's it!
What my tree lacks in beauty, it makes up for in sentiment. I'll never have a pretty tree, because I think my tree is pretty darn special. We've got handmade ornaments not only from Caleb, but from Matt and me as kids as well. There are photo ornaments from various years. We have ornaments marking special occasions. Decorating the tree every year is like a walk down memory lane, and I love it!
On the nights when Matt is gone and Caleb is asleep, Abby and I have been hanging out by the tree and spending time looking at the ornaments. She really loves to examine each one, hold it in her hand, maybe shake it, and occasionally...throw it! (This happened last night and resulted in one less red ball on the tree!)
Here are a few of the ornaments that spark a memory or have sentimental value.
Matt's trumpet, which was a huge part of his high school life (I hear he's making a comeback...) :)
A sweet ornament made just a few weeks ago at Caleb's preschool
A CC heritage ornament that shows the one-room schoolhouse (I took many field trips there as a teacher!)
On the left is a Santa ornament my grandmother gave me. On the right is a handmade original by Matt Leach, circa 1983.
In college, the Resident Assistants came up with a theme every year for their residence hall. We were the Nanticoke Divas my junior year, and our Area Director made us these. That was the most fun group of ladies to work with, and we had a lot of laughs!! (That was also the year I "met" my husband!) Is it "meeting" him when you've already known him 10 years and just didn't realize he was created for you?
A picture of hmm...7? year old Matt (quite the baseball lover, even at an early age!)
Our sweet Becky Dog. Miss her. :(
Caleb made this a few weeks ago. :)
I got this at a shop in Salzburg that is nothing but these blown, handpainted eggs! It is quite a site to behold! This one of a kind is of the city of Salzburg. The most amazing part is that I managed to get this back home without breaking it! Needless to say, this one hangs hiiiiiiiiigh on the tree.
Another Matt Leach original, circa unknown (2010?)
An ornament given to us when we moved into this house, which was a BIG deal! I remember thinking that this house was HUGE and we would never fill it...ha! (Our previous house was teeeeeeny and we didn't even have room for a saucer for Caleb. That was one of the first things I bought when we moved in here!)
There are many more ornaments, but I hope you enjoyed taking a look-see at a few of them! :)
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