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I love Christmas trees – the smell, the lights, the decorating and the anticipation of what may show up underneath. I grew up on a farm in upstate NY and we would trudge off into the woods, usually in snow, to find the perfect tree.
After Steve and I married, I think we always went out to the country to a tree farm to find and cut down our tree. When we lived on the coast of North Carolina, there were no tree farms, but we had a Fraser Fir, brought from the mountains, and they are probably my favorite tree – you don’t find them here in California.
Here is a better photo of this year’s tree:
I like an old fashioned tree with eclectic ornaments – not those decorator themed trees with all the same colors and coordinated ornaments. I once thought I had lost a new friend for being so dogmatic about this. They were at our house for dinner and I had decorated the tree with home-made gingerbread ornaments and popcorn and cranberry strung on twine. I made my big pronouncement about trees all in one color. The next week we were at their house and there was this totally blue tree – blue ornaments and blue lights! Midge became one of my dearest friends ever and the next year, she had an eclectic, much more interesting tree.
I have a weird assortment of ornaments. It is like a walk down memory lane every year. This is a Chrismon made by my son Mark when he was a gangly, incorrigible thirteen year old.
Once when we moved away from a neighborhood, all my friends gave me an ornament. I think of each of them when I put their ornament on the tree. Here is one made by the best of friends in that neighborhood:
This was made by my beautiful mother-in-law who gave us beautiful ornaments every year:
This is an antique ornament from her collection:
I made this needlepoint Teddy Bear:
I found this Santa on a scale when I was operating a weight-loss center and I bought out the store to give as gifts.
I have lots of wooden ornaments like these that I love. The really tiny ones go on the top of the tree.
One year I found these folk figures that you could cut, sew and stuff and I have several of them.
Another friend made this burro from clothespins. He makes me chuckle every year when I hang him on the tree.
Now for your enjoyment, here is some wacky seasonal music. Listen all the way through so that you don’t miss anything. It is pretty funny!
For the other one you need to go here.
Gerri,
I made that “I Love You” ornament in December of 1979 for my newborn daughter! I still have it and love it just as much now, 26 years later, as I did when I first made it!!!
Glad you are feeling so much better!
xo
Judy in GA
Gerrie,
Now I REALLY feel guilt (not) for minimally decking the halls. Your tree is beautiful. I will refer back to it every time I get sentimental about not doing it this year..or last or the year before that!
Gerrie. Gerrie, Gerrie, Gerrie. I listened to “Oh Holy Night” – my favorite Christmas carol – and found it physically painful, so I didn’t try the other one. I kept hoping there would be the sound of the “singer” being bludgeoned or gagged or something before the end!!
I feel the same way about themed trees. Partly it’s because I grew up with an eclectic sort of tree – multi-colored lights and every sort of ornament you could think of – so that’s what feels “homey” to me. And partly it’s because of several years working as a display designer for a major dept. store in Cincinnati where I spent WEEKS every year decorating “theme trees”. It got SO boring!
Oh my goodness! That is some *energetic* singing! Yikes! My dog literally put her paws over her ears and looked at me balefully “Why are you torturing me?”
I spent ten years in the retail display biz, and used to feel compelled to do themed trees, very fashion-y and all. But then I had kids… The tree began to fill with things like plastic lids with photos attached and framed with glued-on pasta, walnuts painted to look like strawberries, etc., etc.
The kids are grown now but I can’t bring myslef to get rid of any of it. My tree is VERY eclectic now.