my first christmas as a grown~up. finally!! i get to decorate the way I want. we can't afford a big, beautiful tree...so a 4 foot artificial tree it is. i get all new decorations. no traditional christmas colors for this gal. peach and gray balls. peach and gray ribbons. peach flowers everywhere. that tree looked as if it threw up peaches. bleck!!
FLASH FORWARD christmas 1987~2008
my parent's have been getting me a hallmark ornament, each year, for simply ever. i have a great little collection. now they are getting them for my boys. they put lots of thought into their choice for each person. and the boys are excited to see what they will get (they still are...they were extremely upset the one year the grandparents thought they should stop!). it was getting out of control...enough ornaments to fill two trees...but, fortunately, most hallmark ornaments are self~standing and can be set around the house (i stick them in odd little nooks you would never expect to see a touch of christmas).
FLASH FORWARD 2009
during the divorce, i went thru all the christmas decorations. i gave each boy a bag full of the ornaments they had been given over their 19~22 christmases. then, i equally divided the rest between me and the ex. in a matter of an hour, i went from two trees full of ornaments to barely enough for one! ack! the bk and i don't need the hallmark ornaments this year...we have a vintage aluminum tree passed down from his grandmother (it is carefully wrapped in newspaper from 1963).
FLASH FORWARD today
the bk and i are busy bees...getting our new place ready for the holiday. a new, pre~lit, slimmer tree sits in our front window. why not the aluminum tree? it's huge! and would require us to move all the furniture out of our front room...where would we sit? why not live? too much trouble to get it up...and then back down...the stairs to our upstairs nest. plus, it's better for the environment to leave the trees in the ground...right? right. 8 stockings line our mantle. yes. i said 8 stockings. even though the 6 kids we have, between us, are grown...and a traditional christmas morning is just us (and the dog. and the cat)...we hang their stockings, from oldest to youngest, and fill them with silly stocking stuffers (slinkies and mt dew flavored chapstick, anyone?). the skeletons have their santa hats on...yep. you heard right. and the hallmark ornaments? they are adorning our new tree...and the fireplace...and any other spot i can find for them...
^2010...we went for the live version^
^everyone gets in the spirit^
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