Holly Jolly Memories

I do love Christmas.  The hustle and bustle. The lights and glitter. The shopping and anticipation. And the food!  I even love the crazy mean folks.  They make me feel so good about myself!
One thing I really love is our big tree in the Living Room. It was a hand me down tree, given to us by our dear friends Bob and Stacey.  It’s 9 1/2 feet tall and takes a good 3 hours of solid work to get it put together, and that DOES NOT  include any decorations.

Ryan would also want me to point out that it has to be stored in two 5 x 5 x 4 foot tubs, which do not include the stand and two metal poles.

ohhhh…but I do think it’s worth it.

Especially at night when it’s all lit up. 

Plus, it’s filled with some of my favorite ornaments.  We collect them when we are on vacation.



What we get is not always a Christmas Ornament, but just something we can hang on the tree



As we hang each one, we talk about all those special memories.

Some other favorites are the wood ones made by Hallmark from the previous year’s Mayor’s Christmas Tree, which is on display at Crown Center–also the home of Hallmark.



For several years, when the kids were younger, we’d take the Amtrak from our town to Crown Center (about 20 mins by car and about 1 hour and a half by train!).  We’d shop, eat pizza, go swimming in the outdoor heated pool (really cool when it’s snowing), then eat candy, play games and spend the night.  It was such fun and a great start to the season. And we’d always pick up that year’s ornament, too.

We’ve also got some that are pretty, just to be pretty.  But with all of them, I think this one is my favorite.  It hung on our family’s tree when I was a child, and I remember looking at it at night, when the tree was alight and thinking it was the most beautiful thing ever. 




All these memories may be the main reason I love Christmas so much.