Ornaments of Life

Every year as I decorate our tree, I carefully place each ornament on a branch and smile because of the memory it evokes. You see, I have a lifetime of treasures hanging on our tree which have given me so many special memories.

There are ornaments from my mom and my sister and my husband and my kids. They are special because they are gifts from the heart of loved ones who know me so well.

There are ornaments that reflect places we have visited like Paris, Tuscany and Nova Scotia.

There are ornaments that are hobby-related and include: guitars, tennis raquettes, scuba diving, fishing, boating, windsurfing, knitting and baking.

There are ornaments that highlight the ordinary treasures of life such as a teapot, coffee cup, and rolling pin.

There are tons of teddy bear ornaments that celebrate the teddy-bear-only little tree we used to have in the entranceway when the kids were young.

There are many photo ornaments that capture special moments over the years like the kid’s baby pictures, their school pictures, Ryan’s and Dia’s wedding, Kyle by the Eiffel Tower, and Ken’s fish.

There are ornaments made by friends who beautifully cross-stitched our initials on petite pillows.

There are sundial ornaments with snow scences and our names artfully painted on them.

There are “designer” ornaments from Waterford and Lenox and Spode. (Hanging these are especially challenging for a Parkinson’s gal.)

There are paper ornaments of a variety of animals, such as a lion, tiger, elephant, giraffe, monkey and bear.

And there are my very favorite ornaments of the nativity which I always display so prominently to remind us why we celebrate this holiday.

This year, I added another ornament with a photo from my cousin’s visit. Judy and I are like sisters and I cherish our close relationship. This ornament reminds me of how blessed I am to have her in my life.

Finally, there is our tree topper. It is 44 years old and we have had it since our first Christmas together. It crowned the top of the little tree we had in our first apartment. It was the only ornament on our tree which was decorated with popcorn and cranberries that we strung on fishing line. It will always be special to us.

So you see, our ornaments are more than trinkets on a tree. For us, they are a lifetime of treasured memories. And I cherish each and every one of them.