Once the decorations are up, and I've had a few days to mellow out about how much work it is, and how overwhelming it is, and how much I dislike it...an evening comes along where I turn off all of the lights (except for the Christmas tree), put on a favorite Christmas CD, and let out a deep, contented sigh.
The tree really IS amazing, and, as I gaze at the various ornaments, most having some sort of nostalgic, sentimental value, I smile, and think of Christmases past, and enjoy the beauty of the season.
Each ornament has it's own story to tell. From the ones I made as a child...
...to the ornaments I made as an adult...
From ornaments from my grandma and grandpa Reynolds' Christmas tree (which stayed decorated year-round, and was wrapped in a big plastic bag, and carried upstairs to a spare bedroom when not on display)...
...to ornaments from our tree when I was growing up (like this red ball, which always had to be at the bottom of the tree so that my sister and I could stare into it and see our "Christmas reflection")...
From ornaments created by friends and family...
mom
First Baptist Women's Group
...to fancy store bought ornaments that represent something meaningful...
glass lion, which, of course, is Aslan from the Narnia series
Hallmark refrigerator ornament, representing all of the AMAZING food we have at the holidays
Mary and Joseph ornament, representing...the birth of Jesus!
a campfire to commemorate an amazing trip to the north shore to celebrate mom and dad's 50th wedding anniversary
From nostalgic items of my "not so recent" past...
I used to have such a THING for Marilyn Monroe
DITTO Miss Piggy!!
ornament covered in pheasant feathers, which reminds me of those MANY, wonderful "pheasant hunting weekends" at my grandparents farm with the hunters from Indiana (Ron, Babe, and Rick!)
a sheep ornament given to me after performing with my friend Carmen at a church near Welman, Iowa in college
...to nostalgic items from my "slightly more recent" past...
Japanese maneki neko (lucky cat)
Geisha playing a koto
From things that aren't really ornaments at all...
tie dyed teddy bear keychain from grandma Reynolds
Deanna Troi Star Trek action figure
Japanese character (Kamen Norida) keychain
Murano glass necklace
cookie cutter
origami man folded by my niece Emilie
a "Simpsonized" picture of Duane and me that I ModPodged into an ornament
one of the MANY golf balls Duane and I picked up while walking around the golf course next door, as it was being converted into a housing development
...to theatrical production props and presents...
glass ball filled with a shredded program and sparkles from "Children of Eden", made by my friend Carrie
comb from the Christmas tree from the set of "Steel Magnolias", which I assistant directed
a paddle, decorated by my friend Dee, who choreographed "Bye Bye Birdie", and kept trying to teach me the "paddle turn", which took FOREVER, and which I really didn't do correctly until the second weekend of performances!
the Scarecrow, from "The Wizard of Oz"...one of my FAVORITE roles!
...to favorite foods...
pizza
bacon
hot dogs
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
...to ornaments from trips and journeys...
St. Simon's Island, Georgia
also from St. Simon's Island, Georgia
London
St. Petersburg, Russia
Dusseldorf, Germany
Kansas City, Missouri
Alaska ("Merry Christmas Nancy"!!)
Stockholm, Sweden
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
...to hobbies and interests...
...to ornaments given by friends!!
the gift tag from a present from my friend LaDawn
Getting philosophical for a moment, I guess my Christmas tree is a scrapbook of my life. It represents many different times, many different family members and friends, and many different places that have made me the person I am today. Although it's still COMPLETELY overwhelming to put up, and causes all sorts of grumbling (and an occasional swear word), it really DOES bring me joy.
I wish I could have posted pictures of ALL of the ornaments on my tree, because, looking at these pictures, and thinking of the wonderful people, places, and experiences has made for a very delightful afternoon!
Here's hoping YOU have something that you display during the holiday season that helps you celebrate, and helps to tell the story of YOU too!!
No comments:
Post a Comment