Ornaments and Memories

We are running a bit behind getting our Christmas decorations up this year. We finally finished decorating this weekend!

I have always been fascinated by Christmas ornaments. Most years, I try to find one special ornament to add to our collection, but instead of buying one, I buy three so that some day, when Ben and Will grow up and leave home, they will have a collection of ornaments to start with.

We put on some Christmas music to set a festive mood, and decorated the tree.

It's amazing how many memories are tied up in ornaments! I smiled as I saw the special 'baby's first ornament' from Ben's first Christmas. Will noticed it, and asked what ornament marked his first year. I quickly searched the box of ornaments we hadn't gotten to yet and found the special rocking horse ornament dated 1995, which marked his first Christmas. I noticed ornaments I remember receiving from special friends over the years. We remembered the time, when Ben was a baby, and our Christmas tree fell over and landed right beside him! He was laying on a pallet on the floor (about six months old!) and was totally unfazed! I gasped at how close it had come to him! In addition, all of our ornaments were intact!

Then, there was the year when Ben was two years old, when we had a real tree that was very heavy (and beautiful). Turns out, the tree stand wasn't strong enough and the tree came crashing down a few days after we had set it up and decorated it! This time, we weren't so fortunate. Many of our ornaments broke into hundreds of tiny pieces! Ben and I hugged each other and cried! (Will wasn't born yet and Tim was rescuing what was left of the tree!) When my family found out, my brother and sisters surprised us by shipping a box filled with new, special ornaments to help build up our collection again!

We have ornaments made by little hands years ago.

The boys looked through the boxes, trying to find that special ornament they remembered from years past, so they could hang it on the tree. There are angels, manger scenes, stars, birds, Santas, glass balls, carolers, Barney the dinosaur (with a santa hat), there are sparkly ones, shiny ones--an eclectic array!

There is a beautiful teal glass ball ornament and one that used to match it that is now silver. I remember handing that ornament to Ben when he was a toddler sitting in a high chair. He wanted to look at the pretty ornament. He accidentally dropped it into his bowl of cereal with milk. I snatched it up, but the acid in the milk had immediately eaten the teal paint off of it!! Wow--that surprised me! So, each year I remember that day as I hang the teal ball and the once-matching silver ball.

This is such a wonderful time of year! I enjoy all of the special events, parties, etc., that go along with this season. I love seeing houses lit up with Christmas lights. I enjoy seeing manger scenes.

It reminds us in a special way of the great gift God gave us when He sent His Son, so many years ago. That was, and always will be, the greatest gift of all!