The Story of Our Christmas Tree

The week before Thanksgiving we put up our Christmas tree. For me, the Christmas season cannot start too early (as long as it's cold outside) and I was anxious to get our tree up. Once again, this year the kids were excited to help out with hanging the ornaments. I loved telling them about the ornaments they were hanging up and seeing their excitement as they found their ornaments.

This year, I wanted to take the time to share some of my favorite ornaments. They aren't expensive or priceless as far as cost goes. But, they are priceless to me because they are so full of meaning and memories and since this blog is like a scrapbook, I want to document them.

The Pickle...This ornament was given to Matt & I the first year we were married by some good friends of my family. I love the history behind it, which if you're interested you can find here. Every tree should have a pickle ornament.

The Little Church...This was given to Matt & I when we were engaged. It was the first ornament we put on our first Christmas tree....where it sat along with the other 10 ornaments we had that year! It's become our tradition that we hang it first each year.

The Angel...This is the oldest ornament on our tree. It was the only ornament that came with me from my childhood. One of the oldest memories I have is of going to a Christmas open house at a little gift shop in LR with my mom and her letting me pick out an ornament. This is what I chose. It hung on the little tree in the room that I shared with my sister growing up. Somehow I can't believe it survived all those years of being constantly "repositioned" and never broke. Each time I look at it, I remember how special my mom tried to make Christmas for us. And, I'm so thankful for all the little extra things she always did.

The Pinecones...The first Christmas Matt & I were married we got up so so so so early and drove to Memphis to do some Christmas shopping (oh to be so adventurous & carefree again!). We had such a tiny budget with me still in school & him just a few months into his first year of teaching. But, that day was oh so fun! We had the best time and we were so excited to shop for each other for our first Christmas. I bought a set of 2 pinecone ornaments that day. Every time I see them I'm thankful for the memory of that first Christmas; and even more thankful for where we are in our life now and how much we've grown together as the years have passed.

The School Bus...When we moved to Cabot, our life went through some big changes. While moving there was amazing for Matt's career, it was a bit hard on our finances. So, Matt got certified and drove a but for the school. He hated every minute of it, but he did it was such an amazing attitude. It allowed me to continue to stay at home with the kids and not have to work. It was a tough schedule for him, but he was so committed to me being at home & providing for us, that he did whatever it took. I'm still so proud of him for that today. And, every time I see that schoolbus, I'm reminded of his committment to our family & to me being able to be at home with the kids. I'm also so very, very thankful that he no longer needs to do this and I'm reminded of how much God has give to us here.

I know that our tree will never grace the cover of a magazine. It will never consist of perfectly coordinating colors or have a "theme." But, just like our life, it is filled with handmade, slightly imperfect memories that are worth more to me than anything money could ever buy. Because, during this holiday season, every time I glance over at our tree my heart utters a quiet prayer of thankfullness for the life I've been given -- the messy, fun-filled, always slightly sticky life. So, you see, our tree is more than just another one of our decorations, it's a constant reminder for me to be thankful. Think I can get away with leaving it up all year???