Memories are really neat things

It has been quite awhile since I blogged.  This could be blamed on many things but mostly just my laziness.

The Christmas season was again a beautiful one.  One of the things that really began to hit home this year with me was traditions.  Traditions were never a big part of my family's celebrating.  We were a small family.  Christmases were usually small and did not include more than 8 people and were really homey.

So, when starting to talk to Cade about important "Christmas" things that we did EVERY year, I really had to think for a bit.  Our "important" stuff started just after Thanksgiving.  My family didn't have a fancy tree.  We did not have ornaments and a color scheme that all matched.  Instead, my family Christmas tree included ornaments from my childhood, my sister, and then special ornaments to my parents.  Each year, putting up ornaments was like walking through the past.  I have angels on my tree from before I was born.  I have all of my ornaments from when my grandmother china painted.  Each of these ornaments is very special to me.

When Jody and I first got together, we bought a yearly ornament.  We tried for a couple years to do a more "theme" tree because they are very pretty, but we went back to "our" tree.  The sad part is Jody doesn't have ornaments from his childhood and that "specialness."  That makes me sad.  I realize every family has their own stories and traditions but I still wish Jody had some of his childhood ornaments.

Cade has gotten ornaments every year since he was born.  We try and get him ones that have to do with whatever he is currently interested in.  This year was a Charlie Brown ornament and also a robot ornament.

This morning we took our tree down.  Jody could not believe that I had a history with almost every ornament on our tree.  I remember when I got them, where I got them, how I got them and/or who gave them to me.  That is a special thing to me.  I can stop and think about that time in my life, say a prayer for that person or simply share a memory of something involving that ornament.  Jody started challenging me to see if I really knew something about all of them and I did.  It was kinda funny but really it just brought that sentimentality and specialness of Christmas ornaments for me.

Peace to all.