Christmas Traditions: The Tree
Here is our Christmas Tree this year. It's a Fraser Fir from Home Depot. We have several traditions that come along with our Christmas Tree.
I always grew up with a real tree. Rudy grew up with an artificial tree. The first year we were married it actually was an easy decision to go with a live one. I LOVE a real tree. Nothing beats the feel and smell of it. Amelia and our friend Ginger have had to sacrifice their love for real trees because of their sons' allergies to mold. It's very hard for them but they do it with no grudges. I'm not sure I could! The Christmas Tree is one of our favorite elements of the Season.
I love doing my daily journaling and reading looking at it! It's something about the colored lights.
Anyhow, each year we seem to get our tree on the coldest and snowiest day in December! It never fails. We have at least learned that Home Depot is honestly the best deal and the best trees! One day we may go to a tree farm and chop one down but for now, we're lovin' the Depot.
Once home, we set the tree in the garage for a few days to "fall". Then we bring it in the house, put lights on it and decorate it. Rudy does the best job with the lots- Hands Down! We both love a TON of lights on the tree. We use colored lights. This was also a compromise when we got married- Colored on the tree; White on the outside of the house!
We decorate our tree with ornaments that reflect who we are as a family.
Here are a few of the highlights:
1- Each year since the very 1st Christmas I met Rudy (1999) I've bought him a cross ornament for Christmas. I didn't do it setting out to make it a tradition but really knew that Christmas he needed a cross to hang on his tree. From there it's simply grown. Let me pause to say- It's actually quite hard finding a cross ornament.
I've purchased them from places I've traveled for work, on the internet, and local stores. I have to start early and it always comes with much searching and never just settling for the 1st one I find.
Here are a couple:
2- Both Aubrey and Benjamin have ornaments with their names on them for each year. Rudy and I both grew up getting an ornament each year with the date and our name. We wanted to continue this for our kids. However, they are themed. Aubrey gets Angels and Benjamin gets Snowmen. One day we hope they both will want to take their ornaments to decorate their trees and, too, will carry on this tradition of getting ornaments for their kids with their names and the year!
3- Rudy's mom gets us a Belleek Snowman ornament each year for Christmas. This is a nice tradition that started about 5 years ago and we really enjoy.
4- The Christmas Pickle!- We got our Christmas pickle from my friend Molly, when she was stationed in Germany with her family, in an ornament exchange. Until this year we never really played the game with it. This year Aubrey was very excited about hanging a pickle on the tree. In case you don't know the tradition with the pickle is you are to hide on the tree and the first child to find it gets a treat. So after we were done decorating, Rudy hid the pickle and Aubrey had to find it and she did, fairly quickly. She was SO excited. She shows me every time we are in the living room.
There a lot of elements of the tree that we all really enjoy. We have some really cool ornaments from my friend Molly and Bridget from their stations here in the US and abroad. We have a Fraser Fir Boyd's Bear from Sharon that reflects her and her mom's love for them! We have ornaments Aubrey has made the past couple of years. We, of course, have a few of the ornaments we had growing up that have not been broken over the years. We have a few "1st Christmas" ornaments from the year we got married. We have ornaments for just about very place we have vacationed. For almost every ornament on our tree, we could tell you something about it. I think that's one of the main reasons we enjoy it so much. Our tree is us. It's Amber, Rudy, Aubrey, and Benjamin. It's our friends and our family. It's our past, present and in many ways, our future.
I love that tradition with the ornaments for you guys and the kids. I want to do that now even though I am Jewish! Ha, maybe I can hang them on the Menorah! Traditions are what makes memories:)
Jenny Garrison said... December 10, 2008 at 7:40 PM
Post a Comment