Thursday, December 21, 2017

A little different this year

My kids are all grown now. All in their 20's and the oldest pushing 30. For the past several years I've relished the idea of redoing what I put on the Christmas tree. Like, away with the things they made in school, or the ornaments I got them each year growing up. 

The storm trooper and Frodo, the little kitten and the C3P0. My reasoning has been they don't really care anyway, what I put on the tree. So, one year I went to Menard's and bought all new fairly inexpensive red and green ornaments and the tree was a theme instead of hodgepodge stuff. 

Then one year I bought a tinsel tree. A table top size, but I wanted "different" that year because everything in my life had changed, or so I thought. 

Three years ago we downsized and have not had enough room to put up our full sized tree which just stays in the box. So, I bought a real tree from Whole Foods and I just put "special" ornaments on it.   I wanted a gold and silver vintage theme. It worked for me. I loved the little vintage looking tree.

Yesterday I got out the ornament box to decorate the table top tree I bought at Hobby Lobby at half price a couple of weeks ago. I put on the Frank Sinatra station on Pandora and went to work. The new tree is my first pre-lit tree.

I started out with a vintage theme again. I bypassed Frodo again and then I saw the ornament that the nursery made when my 24 year old daughter was a mere 3 months old. 

A sentimental warmth mixed with sadness washed over me and I picked it up and put it on the tree. I found one my son made in first grade. A hand drawn and colored elf. I found a faded green construction paper wreath of my oldest son's making with his 1st grade picture inside. This went on my tree as well. 

I didn't cry, but i felt like it. The feels were coming, I could tell. My "kids" who are 29, 27 and 24....looking at them again as little ones. 

Out came another angel from their childhood.

Then my daughter came home from work. She added the new storm trooper ornament given to her by a co-worker. 

This year, my tree is themed "I remember and I'm grateful for the memories". I'm looking forward to making more. 

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First admission is that I went quite a bit over 5 minutes for this! It's been several months since I've done this and I really wanted to get these words down. :)

I'm linking up with other brave and bold writers at fiveminutefriday.com for Five Minute Friday. The idea is to write for five straight with no edits, just for the fun of it. This week's prompt is the word different.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Blessings and Merry Christmas,

Anne

 
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