Although I had the movers put the Christmas tree box in the family room because I intended to put it up right away, I didn’t actually get to that task until about a week after the move.  We’d just bought the tree last year, but we had to send it off to the tree infirmary after Christmas because as the Grinch says “there’s a light on one side that just won’t light” – although in our case it was a whole section. This was the first time I’d opened the box since it had been shipped back to us and had to chuckle when I spotted a tennis ball right on top!  Apparently the workers found it somewhere in the tree and put it back in the box to make sure we got it back!  Only us!

I initially planned to put the tree in front of the windows next to the fireplace, but once we arranged the furniture there wasn’t room for it there.  So I tried it on the other side of the fireplace next to the TV, but it was too big for that spot.  Then I decided to try it at the corner of the family room where the dog bed had been placed.  I moved the dog bed – much to Sangria’s dismay – and started setting up the tree near the hallway, only to decide I didn’t like it there either.  It still felt crowded.

At that point I stood in the middle of the main area and looked around trying to decide where to try next.  It was about this time that the hubs woke up from his night shift sleeping and saw me standing there pondering.  I explained my dilemma and he agreed that it didn’t fit right next to the TV or fireplace.  I told him I was considering placing it next to the back door where I’d just placed the curio cabinet – one of the few pieces I hadn’t ‘envisioned’ a spot for before the move – to see if I liked it there.

The problem was I did like it there.  I knew my brain would see wherever the tree was placed for our first Christmas in this house as “the spot” it would go from here on out and I didn’t want to commit to moving the curio each year to put up the tree.

Hubs said he thought that was the best spot for the tree and then wandered off to wake up further.  I continued to stand puzzling, like the Grinch over Whoville.  Finally, I decided to try it just to appease my curiosity, which required moving the curio to three different spots before finding it’s temporary home in the guest room.  I started again with just the base section and liked how it looked, so I added the other two sections and started fluffing branches.  About that time the Hubs returned and noted that the tree looked good there.  I agreed and stated that he’d been right all along.

Unfortunately, I got distracted with some other project at that point and the tree remained undecorated for several days until I scheduled time to finish decorating this past weekend.  And here’s the final result!  I love the traditional feel of the white lights and this model has flocking and faux pine cones that make it feel real, especially when I get the sugared pine wax melts going!

Our family has a tradition of letting each child choose a new Christmas ornament for themselves each year so that when they move out on their own they have an entire collection full of memories to decorate their own first tree.  I continue the tradition for myself, choosing a new ornament to add to the tree each year.  This year I found a wonderful vendor at a local craft bazaar who made ornaments from clay and I just couldn’t choose between two, so I got both.  One is a reindeer with a strand of lights tangled in his antlers while the other is a classic truck, much like my own 1955 F-100.

Although I love the look of themed trees seen in the magazines and stores, I still like having my eclectic grouping of ornaments at home because they remind me of the stories behind them.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Do you have favorite ornaments?  If so, what makes them special to you?