Christmas Past

Christmas time is full of nostalgia. Seven years ago when we moved into our house I bought new Christmas decorations, pretty flowers, butterflies, color coordinated bulbs all sized to fit a 8 foot tree.  It's a beautiful tree when it's all decked out, I wanted it to look like a fancy one at the mall or Pottery Barn.

I decorated my Christmas tree with my old Hallmark ornaments this year. I found them in storage in the same cardboard boxes I packed them in 12 years ago.  My Mom and I use to collect them.  We bought the movable ones that plug into the lights, with kids sliding down the banister and trains going around in circles. There is a radio with a cat that announces Santa and a dancing toy soldier that drove my husband crazy till I turned it off.  Just the sound of the tree when I plugged it in at night made me remember Christmas past.

My Mom bought me many "For Daughter" ones, hearts and "Mother" ones. She knew my love of animals and bought me cats and mice, dogs and birds. The first one she bought me was a Crayon box with little mice sleeping in it. I bought her "Mother" ones back, old cars and lots of Santas. We bought them together at after Christmas sales. I guess we stopped buying and collecting them for each other in 2000 because they are all dated and the latest date is 1999.

I stopped putting up my tree in 2000 when I was dating my husband and I wasn't at home much.  Dan, my son, was on his own and we all went to my Mom's house on Christmas day. After my Mom passed away in 2005 my sister offered me some of my Mom's ornaments but I don't remember if I took any or not.

Each ornament has it's own box and packing. It took hours to unpack them. The time was worth it when my Dan said the tree was the one from his childhood. I've spent the last two days repackaging these treasured ornaments into their individual boxes and remembering my Mom at Christmas. Good and bad, happy and sad, wishing she was here to celebrate the new babies in the family and maybe we would buy each other a "I Love You Mother" Christmas ornament.

I should have taken a picture of the tree when it was up. Darn it. I only took pictures of baby Dustin and Sandy my granddaughter.

I did have a nice Christmas with family, I hope you did too.


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