O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree...
For me Christmas and traditions go hand in hand. As a child we would cut down our tree from out backyard. Get it near the house and realize we would need to cut a whole through the floor to the basement if we were to make the tree fit. I remember some years decorating the tree with hand made cookie ornaments, once it was fabric covered styrofoam balls. One thing was for sure it was good, happy memories. (As a parent I'm guessing I didn't notice the ensuing chaos that occurs when kids and Christmas trees get together.) I remember one year as a senior in high school, it was just me and my Dad at home. We were both busy and waited till nearly Christmas until we got the tree even in the house. I decorated the tree mostly on my own. As I was decorating one afternoon, I got a call from a friend. He was the second oldest in his large family and was going through the 'I wish I was an only child' syndrome. I think he called for some sympathy. He didn't get any. In fact, I gave him a lecture about 'Some day...you'll have to decorate your Christmas tree on your OWN. I can tell you, you won't like it." The one thing I learned that year was that Christmas is for families. If you have one treasure them. If you don't, find one to substitute. But definitely don't take what you have for granted. I think that is when it became rooted in me how important family traditions were. After my Mom died it was the previous family traditions that we did that reminded me of her. Santa showed up for a year or two after, then one year he forgot to come. While I knew the truth, the magic of that particular tradition helped keep my memories of a time before alive and well. The next year I took over. And I've never looked back. For some, traditions can be burdensome and unnecessary, but for me it is a connection that transcends the time it takes to do them a place long before and will stretch for years ahead. For me...traditions matter. In this light, it was very apropos that a friend of Mike's would share a tradition of their family and became OUR family's 1st tradition.
The TREE. Our tree will never win awards for beauty or matching ornaments, but it will last in the hearts of my children forever.
The tradition is simple really. We choose an ornament each year to represent something important that has happened to our family. When we decorate, no one puts any ornaments on the tree until the story of our family through ornaments is told. Each person gets an opportunity to place their symbol, their representation of what is important to us on the tree. That seems normal enough, but we haven't confined ourselves to typical ornaments...well, see for your self.
Some of my favorites:
The ornament that started it all. A small crystal glass temple given to us by Mike's friend for a wedding present. The pink ribbon was from a paper ribbon from another present.
The next year...Mike and I graduated from Utah State University. Those tassels represent much study and growth, but most importantly the emphasis we as a family put on education.
The year Emily was born. These first tennis shoes of Emily's were a gift from a neighbor. I think she DID wear them once before them came part of our Christmas tree lore.
The year we built our house. This hammer head is conspicuously missing it's handle. We replaced the handle 3 times in the 10 month long house building journey. It represents hard work, dedication, determination and getting things accomplished.
Tim has shoes too, he wore them with his blessing outfit.
Sierra's ornament is a binky. She never actually used the binky, we used it to announce her pending arrival by hiding it in an Easter egg for her Grandma and Grandpa Thornley to find. Funny thing was a few years later Easter fell on April 1st so we once again hid a binky as an April Fool's joke.
Savanna's ornament is her bonnet from her blessing outfit. It was supposed to be the little orange Pumpkin hat we got for her to come home from the hospital in a day before Halloween but when it came time to decorating the tree we couldn't find it. We have more than one accidental ornament...and now they are beloved.
Ethan's ornament is once again a binky. This time it is one he used. The boy was picky and had to have the special binkies or there was heck to pay.
We have had key chains, toy airplanes, a cast iron fry pan(mini size for the year the Olympics came) and science fair awards for different years. This year we chose to commemorate the opportunity to visit the biggest hole in the ground we have ever seen.
For me Christmas and traditions go hand in hand. As a child we would cut down our tree from out backyard. Get it near the house and realize we would need to cut a whole through the floor to the basement if we were to make the tree fit. I remember some years decorating the tree with hand made cookie ornaments, once it was fabric covered styrofoam balls. One thing was for sure it was good, happy memories. (As a parent I'm guessing I didn't notice the ensuing chaos that occurs when kids and Christmas trees get together.) I remember one year as a senior in high school, it was just me and my Dad at home. We were both busy and waited till nearly Christmas until we got the tree even in the house. I decorated the tree mostly on my own. As I was decorating one afternoon, I got a call from a friend. He was the second oldest in his large family and was going through the 'I wish I was an only child' syndrome. I think he called for some sympathy. He didn't get any. In fact, I gave him a lecture about 'Some day...you'll have to decorate your Christmas tree on your OWN. I can tell you, you won't like it." The one thing I learned that year was that Christmas is for families. If you have one treasure them. If you don't, find one to substitute. But definitely don't take what you have for granted. I think that is when it became rooted in me how important family traditions were. After my Mom died it was the previous family traditions that we did that reminded me of her. Santa showed up for a year or two after, then one year he forgot to come. While I knew the truth, the magic of that particular tradition helped keep my memories of a time before alive and well. The next year I took over. And I've never looked back. For some, traditions can be burdensome and unnecessary, but for me it is a connection that transcends the time it takes to do them a place long before and will stretch for years ahead. For me...traditions matter. In this light, it was very apropos that a friend of Mike's would share a tradition of their family and became OUR family's 1st tradition.
The TREE. Our tree will never win awards for beauty or matching ornaments, but it will last in the hearts of my children forever.
The tradition is simple really. We choose an ornament each year to represent something important that has happened to our family. When we decorate, no one puts any ornaments on the tree until the story of our family through ornaments is told. Each person gets an opportunity to place their symbol, their representation of what is important to us on the tree. That seems normal enough, but we haven't confined ourselves to typical ornaments...well, see for your self.
Some of my favorites:
The ornament that started it all. A small crystal glass temple given to us by Mike's friend for a wedding present. The pink ribbon was from a paper ribbon from another present.
The next year...Mike and I graduated from Utah State University. Those tassels represent much study and growth, but most importantly the emphasis we as a family put on education.
The year Emily was born. These first tennis shoes of Emily's were a gift from a neighbor. I think she DID wear them once before them came part of our Christmas tree lore.
The year we built our house. This hammer head is conspicuously missing it's handle. We replaced the handle 3 times in the 10 month long house building journey. It represents hard work, dedication, determination and getting things accomplished.
Tim has shoes too, he wore them with his blessing outfit.
Sierra's ornament is a binky. She never actually used the binky, we used it to announce her pending arrival by hiding it in an Easter egg for her Grandma and Grandpa Thornley to find. Funny thing was a few years later Easter fell on April 1st so we once again hid a binky as an April Fool's joke.
Savanna's ornament is her bonnet from her blessing outfit. It was supposed to be the little orange Pumpkin hat we got for her to come home from the hospital in a day before Halloween but when it came time to decorating the tree we couldn't find it. We have more than one accidental ornament...and now they are beloved.
Ethan's ornament is once again a binky. This time it is one he used. The boy was picky and had to have the special binkies or there was heck to pay.
We have had key chains, toy airplanes, a cast iron fry pan(mini size for the year the Olympics came) and science fair awards for different years. This year we chose to commemorate the opportunity to visit the biggest hole in the ground we have ever seen.
The GRAND CANYON.
What are YOUR traditions?
4 comments:
Nice Temple! The Branch President I serve with makes those in his basement.
Such a cool tradition - I would love to start one like that. And I agree - it's all about family. For me, one of my favorite traditions is the Christmas Eve program. And one of my newer traditions is watching "The Nativity" on the evening of Christmas, to bring back to focus the reason for the day.
I, too, love traditions! So fun to see all your ornaments and the stories behind them.
I love the stories behind your ornaments. Our tree won't win any prizes either, but like yours, they all have meaning. Every year we all get a new ornament, and I try to make them very "person specific." All those perfect trees out there are so... boring.
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