Hello and Happy Monday. Are you ready for the week ahead? How was you weekend? Good? Ours was relaxing and eventful. Eventful because we got our Christmas tree!
Folks, we had to go to more than two tree lots before we got our Christmas tree!! The two we went to were out of Christmas trees! Can you believe it? We were told to go to Home Depot to pick one up. I must mention though that we had a wonderful experience there and picked up a nice fresh scented tree for our family room🎄.
Holiday decor is finally up
Truth be told, I was in a funk about this holiday season but then as the kids pointed out why take away the one holiday that the family can enjoy together, especially since we are all at home and not going anywhere? So now we have our lights up, have our tree, and even our holiday decor is on display. With the house all decked I am all in for the holiday season 🎄🎁.
To theme or not to theme, that is the question.
For years I used to wonder why no matter how we decorate our Christmas tree, it never looked as wow as the ones in the magazines. Mind you we all loved the way our tree looked, but somehow it never looked as perfect as the pictures in blogs and magazines.
Then last year I actually analyzed all the perfectly decorated Christmas trees and discovered a pattern. All have a theme – an ocean theme, red, gold themed, blue themed, or a nostalgic theme, a western theme, pink themed, modern theme, theme, theme! That’s what makes all those gorgeous trees look so perfect.
Our themed tree last year
In an effort to create that same magazine style Christmas tree last year I decided to have a theme on our tree! I chose to decorate our tree with only red, gold, and silver and Santa Claus ornaments. It looked amazing and I loved it! I even had friends comment on how gorgeous our tree looked. I was asked what I did differently this year? The tree looked especially professional. I proudly explained my theme theory and got nods of approval 🤗😊. But did my kids like it? They HATED THE TREE!
The kids were so upset that not all ornaments got put up last year, they didn’t speak to me for days. “What the heck” I thought. The tree looked darn good. But to the kids, “It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that not all the ornaments got on the tree.” Kids never embraced my themed tree concept.
If ornaments could talk
As I was placing the ornaments on our tree this year I thought why not share again a blog I wrote a while back about ornaments titled “If ornaments could talk.”
If ornaments could talk what would they say?
“Yeah, we get to see sunlight!”
“I can’t wait to be on the Christmas Tree!“
“I’m from Vienna! Where are you from?” “Oh hi! I’m from Rome, nice to meet you!”
“I’m looking forward to be on the tree with my ornament buddies, I haven’t seen them all year!”
I like to watch the family and their friends sit around the tree and admire us.“
“I like to watch everyone open their presents.”
“I want everyone to see my glittery workmanship.”
“I like it when the family looks at me so affectionately and remembers when they bought me or who gifted me.”
Are ornaments worried that there might be a themed Christmas tree this year?
“I wonder what the theme is this year?“
“I hope they make this year’s theme about animals because then I get to be on the tree!“
“I hope they don’t do a theme tree! I really want to be on the tree with all my ornament friends.”
“I hate themed trees! Just leave me in the box why don’t you.”
I don’t want to be in the ornament bowl
One year I saw a cool idea for displaying ornaments that don’t make it onto the tree – place them in a bowl so they can all still be on display. This got me thinking, if I were an ornament how would I feel about that?
“I hope I get picked to be on the Christmas tree!“
“I don’t want to be in the leftover ornament bowl!”
A story in every ornament
Seriously though, all ornaments do deserve to be on the tree as each one has a story. A story of life. Of years gone by, of people who gifted them, of travels from where we picked them, of fond holiday shopping with our loved ones when we stumbled upon that special ornament, memories of walking in a Christmas market and picking that one handmade ornament that spoke to us, they all have a story, and that’s what makes each family Christmas tree so unique – our ornaments. We all have our flaws and our strengths, our own tastes and styles, and ornaments reflect our individual stories.
Our family trees may not be as perfect as the magazine photos, but to us our tree with our mismatch of ornaments is absolutely perfect!
A very special ornament’s story
Speaking of ornaments communicating life’s moments here is a unique ornament I am thrilled to share with you all. If you read my recent blog on my eldest daughter’s surprise proposal over Thanksgiving, this is the image I used for that story. Well my daughter who is an artist decided to paint an ornament as a keepsake of her engagement in 2020!
All ornaments got onto the tree this year 🎄!
With such a strange year we’ve had, it only seems appropriate that all ornaments got onto our tree this year and so they did! Because let’s face it, when ornaments come out of their boxes only once a year, they ALL deserve to be on the family Christmas tree!
Have a good week everyone.