December 12, 2007

Decorating the Christmas Tree

Decorating the Christmas tree is one of my favorite decorating chores each year for a number of reasons. One is that it never fails to put me into a holiday mood since it is the most obvious of Christmas decorations. But my favorite thing about decorating the Christmas tree is that it is a time for me to think about so many of the people I love.

Many of the ornaments on our tree have special meaning to me. There is the pear-shaped bird house with a partridge in it that my father gave me. It belonged to my parents and since they had two, my father gave it to me for our tree. There is the Lenox angel on the top of the tree that my husband gave me an anniversary present many years ago. The "Baby's First Christmas" ornaments that remind me of our first Christmas as a family of three.

Some of the ornaments are special because the giver is no longer with us. Some remind me of special friends. Many years ago, my husband and I decided to buy ornaments on our trips as a remembrance of the places we have traveled to. These include the starfish Santa from St.John, the starfish snowman from Hawaii and the Disney ornament that we purchased when my whole family went to Disney World. I collect them too from my "girls only" weekends with my friend J.

It's never a quick task to decorate the tree. But is one that I do with much gladness.

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