Christmas is the Best!

I look forward to the Christmas season every year. I love the glow that Christmas trees and decorations create in the home. I love the colder weather. I love that people, for the most part, are a little bit kinder (assuming you're not shopping on Black Friday). One of the traditions in our house is setting up 2 Christmas trees. One is our "pretty tree". The other, the "fun tree".

The pretty tree stems from my love for visiting places that are decked out for Christmas. I loved to see the "designer" trees that were more uniform in their colors and seemed to have themes. Years ago I found the ribbon I used on our tree and fell in love! It's got an iridescent sheen to it and if you look at it from one angle, it's a true Christmas green and from another angle it is red. The ornaments have changed over the years as I've found new ones or new ideas. I got the idea to put colored "icicle" streamers inside glass ball ornaments. They shimmer in the lights and add another dimension of color and sparkle. To pay homage to the reason for the season, the only ornaments that are not balls are the stars. Crystal-looking stars in the shape of the Star of Bethlehem and gold stars. I love this tree, so much so, that I've kept it this way for at least 10 years, changing little but the balls.

"Pretty" Tree

Then there's the "Fun Tree". This tree has a snowman head for a topper and houses our collection of ornaments. There are some pretty elements to help give it a cohesive look, but overall, it's a display of our years together. When we travel, instead of looking for souvenirs to clutter our shelves, we search for ornaments. Each year we also buy a family ornament and one for Jayden. That way when he leaves the nest and settles his own, he will have ornaments chronicling his life. When it's time to pull out the Christmas decorations each year, it's fun to pull out all these ornaments and relive the memories behind them. I must admit, I write somewhere on them the year and/or where, who or how we got them. My memory is not what it used to be as most people's. I don't want to forget so I write in the most inconspicuous place I can.

"Fun" Tree

This year's craft project was these reindeer ornaments made from paint-stirrer sticks. Jeremy found that Sherwin Williams was the most cooperative. They gave him 36 for free! Now before you go thinking I'm super creative, don't. I copied the idea from an ornament given to me next year. That's how I get most of my ideas. I liked the overall elements of the gift but as always, I have to put my little spin on it. The original had a wreath around the neck, but I couldn't find mini-wreath's I liked so I had to improvise. But here's this year's finished product.