Eclectic Christmas

My mantle was recently described by a friend as "eclectic."  After she said it she looked a little embarrassed, as if she said something that had offended me. No worries, I am not offended by much especially when it is true.  My Christmas decorations are eclectic.  

As you may have guessed I am sentimental.  I like things that have a meaning.  It doesn't necessarily have to be a deep meaning but something with an emotional tie will always be front and center on my heart's fireplace mantle.  

When Mac and I got married one of my besties bought us a variety of snowman Christmas decorations which started my snowman collection.  Every year I buy a new snowman to add to my collection. Some of my snowmen stay up all year, causing an eyebrow raising experience for some of our visitors. I guess it is a little strange to see snowmen on display in July, but strange works for us.

A1 had her first Christmas in 2006.  As I was dragging out all of our decorations and my small snowman army, I realized A1 needed decorations.  It was at that moment I decided every Christmas I would buy her a Santa decoration.  By the time she moved out and was decorating her own house for Christmas she would have quite a collection started.  

On the bottom of each Santa I write the year so we can reminisce on Christmases past as we decorate each November.  I try to select styles so she will have a variety of Santas to chose from as she decorates her own home one day.  Thinking of her decorating her own house makes me get a little choked up, until I think that if her tastes don't change her house will be a rainbow of sparkly glitter junk. It would be as if a Justice Store took over Pier One. Then I laugh.

A2 and A3 also have a collection of Christmas decorations started.  A2 gets a gingerbread man, while A3 gets a reindeer each year.   I didn't think about the challenge I set up for myself when I selected gingerbread men and reindeer.  Every store has Santas everywhere.  Finding a gingerbread man and reindeer is hard. Some years I have to stop at several stores before finding one.  The hunt is worth it when I show A2 her newest gingerbread man and I get to see how excited she is to have her very own new Christmas decoration, the pride she has when she sees her new gingerbread man go on the fireplace.  I am sure that one day A3 will be just as excited but right now she really doesn't care. 

I am excited that one day eclectic collection of decorations will become their eclectic collection of decorations. 

Perfectly Themed Trees

The first year we were married we had a "themed" Christmas tree.  It was 2001 shortly after the attack on the World Trade Center so, like many other Americans, we had a patriotic tree.  Since we didn't have many ornaments to start with I spent a lot of time the last week of November collecting Red, White, and Blue ornaments.  By the time I was finished it was perfect and beautiful. 

The trees following that first year continued to have a mostly patriotic feel. The tree was mostly Red, White, and Blue plus snowmen, Santas, a random treasure from students.  The tree continued to be beautiful but I was envious of those super fancy trees that I would only be able to recreate if I was someone like Martha Stewart or my sister.  Each year I would dream of a newly decorated fancy tree but Mac was more sensible and would tell me we really didn't need to buy all new ornaments.  

Even this year, after admiring all the perfectly put together trees at the Festival of Trees, I was contemplating and scheming up a way to finally have the themed tree I have been dreaming of for years. However, the reality of the situation is that we are on a budget and buying all new ornaments would be absolutely ridiculous. So I did what any mature adult would do when they don't get their way; I pouted and considered not putting the tree up because it wouldn't be as beautiful as "so and so's" tree. 

Luckily my pity party was short lived and I had Mac set up the tree so the girls and I could decorate.  As we were decorating I realized that our tree does have a theme.  It is a tree of memories.  Every ornament we put on the tree brought up a memory, a thought, and even a story.  The girls loved hearing about the reasons we purchased certain ornaments.  A1 giggled and fake gagged when I held up the cute umbrella "Parents to Be" ornament and told her that we got that one when I was pregnant with her. Pregnant is a gag word when you are 7. 

Some of the ornaments also brought up memories of people who are no longer with us.  I was blessed to have a thoughtful co-worker and friend as a secret Santa a couple different times.  She would give me creative goodies and always several ornaments. Her memory lives on in those ornaments.  The girls shed a few tears when we dug out their ornaments from my grandparents.  Both of them passed away a little over a year ago but A1 and A2 miss them almost every day.  Seeing the bear with a tiny strawberry stuck to his head made A1 smile especially when I reminded her it was from Granny and Papa.

The most precious ornaments are the ones the girls made in school, especially the ones with their pictures.  We oohed and aahed over artwork from the past.  We even giggled a little the creative messes some of the ornaments displayed.  I assured the girls I loved all of them, even the snowman with a googly eye for a bellybutton. 

The funniest ornaments are the ones I rush out to Hallmark for the day after Christmas so I can get a 50% off family picture ornament.  It was a tradition I started in 2001.  We now have 12 family picture ornaments and you better believe I will be rushing out the day after Christmas to pick up number 13.  Maybe this year will be lucky number 13 and I will actually put our family picture in them... Although the stock picture does look nice in each one as it hangs on the tree.

Our Memory Tree is as beautiful as each ornament that dangles from the tree.  It is a perfect way to mark the passing of time and to get us to stop and reminisce about our past.  It is a salute to our loved ones who are no longer on this Earth to celebrate with us. I wouldn't trade our Memory Tree for any of the perfect trees in Martha Stewart Living. Does that magazine even exist? I haven't read a magazine in years...