Sunday, December 1, 2013

25 Days of Christmas ~ Light the Tree

I'm a fly by the seat of my pants kind of girl, and if you don't know that by now you must be new around these parts.
I've been planning to try to blog more and the days leading up to Christmas seem like such a great time to do that. I have to admit to feeling a bit out of my league now, (because I'm also a wear my heart on my sleeve kind of girl) There are plenty of blogs that have big retailer sponsors and a budget that is out of this world. I have neither and my Christmas is pretty simple, and since the wonder years are pretty much over for my kids, I'll be honest, sometimes I have a hard time getting into the decorating that I used to find so much fun. Can anyone relate?  But I think there is room for simple Christmas don't you? My Christmas isn't about the latest gizmo or getting just the right vignette in just the right place, I'll admit vignettes are not a talent I was born with.  It's about people, and sharing fun, and enjoying all the beautiful things that make Christmas so special.
So my tree doesn't sport a new theme every year, not that there is anything wrong with that! Some years I would theoretically love to start from scratch and see how creative I can be, and maybe some year I will throw caution to the wind and do that.
 
But this year, especially this year, as my babes have all but flown the coop, We opened the ornament box with a special tenderness and hung that pretzel ornament Lauren made in school when she was 6, who would have thought pretzels could last 19 years unscathed?
 The photo of Earl's parents taken on the night they eloped. Mom all shy and dad all smarty pants
 The photo of Earl as a little boy helping Gramps with the milking, holding buckets as big as he is.
 then drinking milk right out of the pail.
And the beaded can lid ornament Victoria made in "pretty school" (her name for pre-school:>)
With my first grade photo sporting the spit curls that my grandmother so lovingly put in my hair that morning.
We found the macaroni angel that one of the girls made in Sunday school, (one of my favorites), and of course, we filled in with sparkling stars, mirrored balls, ornaments sent from blog friends around the world, bead and wire ornaments made as a project when the girls were little and tiny toys that Earl and I have collected since before the children came along.
My simple Christmas comes with memories, like yours. It may be time to sit down and see what we need to change about our celebration, after all, our lives have changed, and at some point we all have to adjust to different circumstances that change the way we view the season.
I hope as you deck your halls, you enjoy the best of the past and the merriest of futures.
 
 I would love to hear how you have adjusted your holidays if you are an empty nester, or how you decorate. Is it the same each year? Different each year?
Simple Christmas or elaborate, do tell :>)
 




16 comments:

  1. I feel a lot like you do! We are empty nesters too, although we have our grand-daughter here a lot.
    I love the sentimental old fashioned Christmas tree and yours is beautiful!
    I can't keep up with different Christmas decor each year and I am not into the neutral look so popular now. So I guess we just find what works for us and don't worry about the rest.
    Cindy

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  2. I love the family photo ornaments.
    Your tree is so cozy and homey, perfect:)

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  3. I like your family memento ornaments and yes, we are simplifying a bit too, now that our children are adults, and like you, we still make our home shine with Christmas spirit.

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  4. It was great seeing all of the special ornaments you have on your tree filled with years of memories Kathy.

    Our tree stays the same pretty much each year. When the last of our children flew the nest in 1995, we sent the special ornaments that they made with them. So they hang on their trees now, along with the ones their children have made.

    Our children are scattered all over and we usually do not see them at Christmas. So we have adjusted and scaled back. Just this week we were talking about maybe doing something really different next year, like traveling somewhere and spending Christmas on a vacation. Just thinking about it at this stage.
    Hugs,
    Penny

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  5. Our tree probably looks a lot like yours:) Many homemade ornaments mixed in with some special store bought and vintage ones. Special memories are what it's about for us too.

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  6. I think you were the fly on the wall at my house today! I was just expressing how hard it was to get into decorating this year..
    I do love all your special photo ornaments. They make your tree like a trip down memory lane!

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  7. I like the more simple look. I don't put up a big tree anymore. I have a special tree that has a big bear and a little bear hugging it. It's about 4 feet tall. Little trees here and there. One in an antique wagon. I have angels and santas. But I use less and less and like the cleaner less cluttered look. My kids are all own their own but we have little grands. Have a nice holiday. Sounds like it is already full of good ole memories.

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  8. I adore your tree! It is wonderful, and those picture ornies make it perfect. I loved every one!

    xo

    Sheila

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  9. It is a beautiful tree and the photos make it very special.

    My tree? It depends on how I'm feeling. One box of decor on the off years and ten boxes on the good years. I suppose I could think of that differently.

    I sure hope that there is room in Blogdom for us all. I don't do DIY, a lot of baking, a lot of decorating or much of anything. Ha!

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  10. I feel just like you do....each year there seems to be less decorating and more time wanting to spend with family. Your ornaments are absolutely priceless. Thank you so much for sharing.

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  11. Love the expression in the elopement picture! Our tree is filled with lots of homemade ornaments and photos as well. The pre-school ones are still our favorites. I do gift an ornament to the girls each year, but we always decorate the tree the same. I don't add much around the home to decorate, but I do bring in lots of fresh evergreen cuttings from our property.

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  12. Oh, I just love it! I'm like you, I love Christmas but just pretty much do my own thing. I'm not a burlap gal and just use mostly what I have. I did buy a darling little red truck this year to sit on my mantel. I so remember those sentimental decorations. When my daughter and son married, I gave them their little decorations and they loved it.
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  13. Our main tree is the same each year. Some of our kids have chosen to take their ornaments and some have not. I love opening the tree box and looking at each one. We have collected ornaments from our travels and each one evokes some memory of a lovely little getaway or a major vacation. I'm all for simplifying and remembering what the season is really all about. Mimi

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  14. I just love your home. The pillow is adorable.

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  15. Christmas trees with old family treasures are the best kind! Everything looks so pretty. :)

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  16. All those photos are precious!!

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Thank you for taking the time to say hello :)