Thursday, December 22, 2011

Christmas Tree Evolution......

The Christmas tree is magical.
I have always thought so, along with every other child that has ever sat endlessly below it.
My mom didn't just have one Christmas tree she had many and they were stunning. In fact she had a forest of about five unbelievably decorated trees for many years of my growing up and one in the kitchen and every bedroom. So when I think of Christmas past I picture me and my little sister Annabelle (my constant friend, sidekick that was often referred to as my shadow) in our jammies sitting for hours below those twinkling lights. Between the forest of trees and the presents, sitting under Christmas trees was our favorite December pastime.
We would hold, squeeze and shake each gift smiling endlessly making guesses about what was hidden beneath that Santa wrapping paper. Ahhh the anticipation nearly killed us but we never peeked not even one time.

Well I grew up like all little girls do and then I got married.


It was time for me to get my own tree. Oh how I wanted that tree to be beautiful. I missed my sidekick and I missed my Mom's beautiful trees. There was just one huge problem we had absolutely no money for ornaments. So my friend Michelle and I came up with an economical solution...dried oranges. It was actually quite beautiful and I knew this was a temporary solution until I got my own forest of beautiful trees just like my Mom's.
Just one problem my beautiful trees never came.
Not the trees and not the ornaments.
I ended up with a hodge podge of my growing up ornaments that my Mom had given us and all the homemade pictures from nursery or crocheted who knows what from school and the thingy that someone made at a Christmas party. It is seriously "a whatever you can stick on the branches" Christmas tree. The crazy thing about it is I absolutely love it. I watch my kids decorate it and I don't change one thing. ( Usually I would intervene on something like that.)
That tree represents everything that Christmas is and everything that is closest to my heart. It is memories of years gone by and the reminder that this very Christmas season will someday be a distant memory.
Now its 2011 and my own children sit below that tree for hours. I still ache for my little shadow to help me guess what each present holds but now as I watch my own kiddos sitting beside the tree it makes me so happy and it keeps a smile on my face just the same.

I searched for a picture of me and my little sister. No such luck but I found this beauty taken of all my sisters in 1982 in Canada.

My "anything goes" tree









I am grateful for little sisters and Christmas trees.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Christmas at Pear Cottage

That's right I have named my home.

When I traveled to England, I noticed that all the quaint little cottages had names. It planted a seed in my brain. Then when we were in New England, many of their homes also had names out front.
Well that was it my home needed a name.
After all my home has housed my family for seven years and during that time has seen a million of our wonderful memories. So I began to stew and to think. Oh the pressure of the right name. I started out with familiar and wonderful names from England but surprisingly nothing felt just quite right. Then after probably a month of periodically saying names my honey just looks over at me and out of the blue says...Pear Cottage. We both knew that was it. You see my home lives on a very old pear orchard. In the early 60's when our home was built it went on that old pear orchard. They left many around the neighborhood including a beautiful tree in my backyard.
So that is it my home has a name and it felt just exactly right.
My honey hasn't made the sign out front yet but I can't wait to show you when he does.

In the meantime white lights, glitter, and boughs have temporarily transformed my home into a magical wonderland.


















I am grateful for this time of year when everything reminds me of who I owe everything...Him. For unto us a Child is born and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

I am joining a Holiday Home tour at Jennifer Rizzo too.

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