O, Christmas Tree

We finally got our tree decorated last night (it's been a busy month). Honestly, I'm NOT a decorator nor do I have the need to have total perfection. Some of my family (mom, sister) has the decorating talent that sometimes turns into what seems to be some type of OCD!! I smile as I say this because everything they do is perfectly decorated and everything has it's perfect place. Me...not so much and I'm perfectly ok with that. Maybe it has something to do with having 4 young children and another on the way. Hmmm......

Anyways, several years ago my mom started what seemed to be a tradition. Each year she would buy each of my kids their "special" ornament for that year. She would put their name on it and the year it was bought. It's been kind of hit and miss with this but last night it really got me thinking. As I sat with my husband in the dark looking at our decorated only by children tree I felt so blessed. There is no "theme" or color scheme to our tree. Nothing is placed in order. It brought tears to my eyes because our tree is filled with ornaments that have meaning behind every single one of them.

Once upon a time I was one of those that had to have THE tree. The ornaments that were handmade by pre-school kids never made it to the tree because they didn't match. As I mentioned before, I am not a decorator and one year actually bought a display tree already beautfully decorated. It was ridiculous. Now that I am in my 30's and have found so much peace in my life I look back with sadness that appearance ever mattered to me. Someone always seems to have something to say about my lack of decorating sense or wants to criticize my lack of effort. REally, it's not lack of effort but sitting back and enjoying the looks of the faces of my children each year when they unwrap their special ornaments. Looking at the masterpiece they created with memories of their little lives. Looking at the future they will have and having so much excitement thinking about the day they get all their ornaments from their childhood as a wedding gift for their trees.