Friday, December 17, 2010

An old fashioned-tree with sentimental ornaments


It's a bit old fashioned; it's not fancy, it is not decorated with expensive ornaments, and the angel atop is slightly askew, but our table top tree makes me smile when the lights are on. We used to have a very large, six foot tree that took up half the living room. It was beautifully shaped, but it was just too big for us. Last year we downsized to this little bushy tree. It is such a relief not to have to remove an end table, and move our furniture around to make room for a tree. The only thing that was removed was the lamp.

If you click and scroll on top of the photo you can enlarge and see the ornaments. Notice a tiny yellow gauzy angel in the center. She is a treasure. She belonged to Bill's mother and of course is an antique. There's a miniature stocking to the left that belonged to my grandmother. But most of the ornaments are merely gifts from students or are sentimental gifts from children and grandchildren. There's a decorated tuna can on the bottom of the tree with a photo insert of my step daughter, Michele, as a little girl. There's the paper bell shaped ornament that my son, Jason, scribbled on in Sunday School when he was two and a half. When my daughter, Tracey, was five she chose a Christmas card cut-out of Mary and the Baby to be inserted into the top half of a blue L'eggs (pantyhose)egg. The glittered wooden ornaments take me back to the day my first grandchild, (21 year old Ashley), then six, sat out front on the steps one autumn day and helped me paint and decorate them. There are the paper ornaments that each of the babies scribbled on, the hand drawn picture of my cat decorated by grandson, Austin, at age seven. The paper and the foam snowmen made by grandkids, make me aware of how fast our children and grandchildren grew up.

My favorite and most treasured ornament is not the Eskimo as you might imagine, since I lived in Alaska and had my first baby there. It is the ornament just below and to the right. There are two little chipmunks swinging inside a heart. Bill gave it to me. It has a little red heart that says OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS TOGETHER.

If you look to the right of the creche, you'll notice a pink paper with a hand- drawn Nativity scene. My daughter drew it thirty-two years ago when she was eight years old. It has graced the bottom of our tree for over three decades.

God bless you and your family. May the spirit of Christmas shine on your past, brighten your future and dazzle your holidays. When the lights are ablaze on my tree I am reminded of the light in our childrens' and grandchildrens' eyes each Christmas. I'll never forget the one year when Tracey was five; she opened a package, held up her little purse and shouted, "Look Mom! Santa shops at Target too." Ug! I fogot to clip the tag off.

10 comments:

Sioux Roslawski said...

And if Santa is smart, he stops first in the dollar section of Target...How funny!

Have you written stories about your time in Alaska? (I'm sure you have, but if not, why not?)

I agree---the sentimental ornaments, the ones made by the kids and grandkids, are the most precious.

Linda O'Connell said...

Hi Sioux,
I wrote an "as told to" book by an Alaska pioneer woman, now 84. I met her in 1969. HHP published it. Also many of my Chicken Soup publications are short essays about those days. I could write a book. One night we were stranded in a blizzard on a mountain road. It was horrifying.

Pat Wahler said...

Your tree is lovely, and the Christmas comment from your daughter priceless!

Pat
www.critteralley.blogspot.com

Julia Gordon-Bramer said...

I love ornaments that mean something. I have seen so many designer trees, where everything must be the right color, etc. Sure, they are pretty, but they are heartless.

Your tree glitters with pieces of you and Bill. It's perfect.

P.S. Write those Alaska stories!

Bookie said...

Your tree is mighty fine, excellent example of what a tree should be. It is also a good testimony to the adage "less is more". A bigger tree could not say it better. Love the nice shape too!

Susan said...

Oh, that's nice you have special memories in the ornaments. The tree is darling and perfect! A blessed Christmas to you and your family, too, Linda. We must enjoy every single second of this beautiful holiday season. Susan

Terri Tiffany said...

I love your tree!! I wish mine looked as cozy as yours does. I pray your holday is wonderful and spent with close family and friends.

Chatty Crone said...

I love your tree - Merry Christmas. sandie

Linda O'Connell said...

Greetings to all my blog buddies,
Thank you for stopping by and commenting about our tree. I used to also have fancy red, white and green flocked, glass ornaments, but when my granddaughter moved out and we got rid of the tree, we gave her the fancy ones, and kept those that had sentimental value.

LAst shopping weekend, get going gals.

Tammy said...

I love it. That is one treasure-filled tree!