A View from My Tree

When my husband and I were newlyweds, we started the tradition of buying a Christmas ornament to add to the tree each year. Most years, it had some significance -- a milestone, a trip, an event -- but other years, it was just something we liked. If I count the "First Christmas Together" ornaments from before we were married, we have nearly three decades of these annual decorations, marking everything Baby's First Christmas to a twenty-something re-discovering Harry Potter.

I used to insist that the ornaments went on the tree in order but the impatience of a young assistant (our daughter) and, eventually, the sheer number of ornaments made that a tad untenable (read: sucked the joy out of decorating and made people want to throw the ornaments at Mom instead of putting them on the tree).

This week, I thought I'd share a few of my favorites. The first batch is below, and I'll share a few more on Wednesday. 

And I'd love it if you'd do the same. Let's make the comments a collection of Christmas joy (along with meaningful menorahs) that everyone can see, especially in a season where actual, physical visits are a risk many of us aren't taking. Remember progressive dinners? Let's create a virtual progressive parade of ornaments.  

I'll start :-)

1994: We bought a house! This little plastic/resin ornament from the Current catalog is one of the oldest on the tree. I wrote the date on the back in gold Sharpie. That little starter house? Still home.

2009: We went on a cruise! The cruise itself was a blast, but the best part of it was going on the cruise with another family. At the time, we were just fellow basketball parents who thought a cruise would be fun, but our family now counts theirs among our closest friends. Now that's a souvenir worth keeping.

2000: The first year the Queen Mom and King Dad ornaments graced the tree. Twenty years later, Mom and Dad still have to put their own respective ornaments on the tree. It's tradition.

2017: We lost my mom, Joy, to cancer. This ornament keeps her in our hearts and on our tree so she can hang with us while we open presents.

Handmade with love ornaments are always a staple. This one's from 2002.

2016 (I think): When I bought this ornament to make my daughter's college (the Q stands for Quinnipiac University) a part of our tree, she all but rolled her eyes (you know how cool college students are :-) This year, she was the one to find it a spot of honor on the tree.

Bring it on! Show me your ornaments. Comment, or just post a picture if you prefer. Either way, let's share some joy.