Weekend Musings ~ Christmas Memories on the Tree

When it came to decorating the tree this year, there came a load of emotions and memories. It was the first year I decorated the tree without the kids. They are all out of the house now, and it is just hubby and me for the holidays this year. A quiet house this year, unlike almost every other one we have had since we were married. (Here is one from several years ago, boy did we decorate then!)

It used to be that he brought the live tree in and got it in the holder and made sure it was straight, and then his job was done. He never actually puts one on the tree, unless it was that crazy spinning cow above the tree the kids loved when they were little, or the octopus star that one year. 

He generally he finds other things to do while the decorating is going on, and this year was no different. Just paying attention from the sidelines, when he wanted to add comments to my reminiscing and laughing and nod and agree to my 'aww look how cute' comments. 

Christmas 2020

That is something we all liked to do while decorating, saying "remember this one?" 

Or laughing at the handmade ones they did in elementary school, adorably ugly sometimes uttered.

Or talking about our trips to Iowa to visit great grandparents and grandparents when we hung up the corn ornaments, which are replacements for the ones that broke when the tree fell over that one time. 

Or remembering the storms we have been through when we hang up one that was deposited outside the door of their dad's gallery after that one storm.

So many memories that go on our tree. We used to share memories while we hung the ornaments, but this year it was just me, and the hubby on the sideline. 

I had promised to send some ornaments to our daughter, who was moving to a house (from an apartment) in early December and quite excited to host her brothers for Christmas this year. We, thanks COVID-19, cannot join them. It will be the first year ever we will celebrate without the kids. 

Sorted to send

I got our tiny fake tree out, planning to sort the ornaments and pick the ones to send to our daughter, who boasted she was getting a big tree, but when we asked about the ornaments she seemed to forget she had none. The thought of a tree with only Walmart ornaments made me so sad. So I had to send some from home. 

 I totally missed decorating with the kids around so they could share in the memories as we hung them on the tree. I want them to enjoy the years of memories each ornament holds too. Picking which ones to keep, and which ones to send - that was tough. 

We ended up keeping the fragile, and the baby picture ornaments. We kept ones that meant something to hubby and me as well. Like this one.

Our First Christmas

I had no idea he felt something for this one, until he asked 'hey where is that one of the dancing couple, I always loved that one'. I had no idea that one was one of his favorites. That was from our very first Christmas as a married couple. My heart did a little melting, and my eyes got a little wet with that. And boy did my eyes leak when I saw the baby pictures and home made ones the kids drew or created, even if they were kinda terrible and didn't get hung on the tree this year. (Sorry kids, small tree and all.) 

There are so many memories that go on our Christmas tree. I do hope the kids all share their memories when they are together this Christmas, because as they share old, they make new ones. Maybe next year we can all celebrate together again.