Christmas Ornaments

One of my favorite parts about decorating for Christmas is the ornaments.

Growing up, we always put our tree in front of the front window, so you could see it from the street. Although I now live in a small apartment, I still make sure to rearrange furniture so you can see the lit tree from the road.

When I was younger, I spent a great deal of time looking at the ornaments on the tree. I would turn off all of the lights in the living room (well, the one or two lamps we were allowed to have on - saving electricity was important, and I remember coming downstairs to dinner numerous times, only to have my dad send me back upstairs to make sure the lights were all off). There would only be the glow from the white tree lights, and I would stand, sit, and lie by the tree looking at the ornaments.

I remember the homemade cinnamon ornaments, cut out into shape of stars, with red ribbons tied through a hole on the top. I am 99% sure my mom still has those - they must last forever, because we used the same ones every year for as long as I can remember!

We had ornaments that went along with The Forgotten Carols, by Michael McLean. There was a wooden cradle, a bow, a star, and many other items that went along with the different songs.

I loved the two small wooden marionettes we had, a boy and girl, whose strings we would pull and their arms and legs would move.

I loved our simple, plain tin star on the top of the tree. I am still looking for a star that I love - I am a bit picky. I like the old fashioned looking stars, and keep my eye out when the stores start putting out their Christmas decorations. I haven't found it yet, but I know the perfect one is out there!

My mom made MANY fabric pine cones. I remember helping push the little needles into the Styrofoam eggs to keep the little pieces of fabric in place. My fingertips would start to hurt after a while, but I remember looking at all of the different Christmas prints and choosing what color ribbon to hang them with on the tree - usually white, red, green, or a grayish (cornflower?) blue.

I especially love the heavy pewter ornaments. My grandparents buy my parents an ornament every year, and it's always a nice pewter one. I love them!

I remember we had a delicate golden ornament of the Provo Temple, where mom and dad got married.

I had my 'Baby's First Christmas' ornament. It looks like a little rocking horse crib. Next time I am home I think I will need to raid the Christmas decorations and 'borrow' a few, and get my baby one! :) I always loved looking at that one, and it made me feel special to have my own ornament.

Of course, there were the homemade ornaments we kids made - mostly made out of paper or craft sticks. Hannah or Emma had their school picture on a paper snowflake, and I know SOMETHING was made out of yarn...

We also had a Santa Claus made from quilt batting material. (Or some kind of white stuffing). I think every year he got smaller and smaller, because I would find pieces of him on the floor, and little tufts of him in the Christmas décor container. I think the mice in the barn may have finished him off a few years back.

I have slowly accumulated my own ornaments over the last 6 years, and my tree is a bit of old and new. I love golds, reds, silvers, and darker greens. I have silver jingle bells, red and white striped candy canes, some pewter ones, homemade paper ornaments, some 'diamonds' for more twinkle, a few that Jon's mom gave me, which belonged to her sister who passed away (they are some of my favorites), and lots of different sizes of balls - some plain, some shiny, some with glitter, some with words like 'Merry Christmas', etc.

I always put up white lights still (NOT the LED ones) - I think because it's tradition, and I like the simplicity and the 'clean' look of all white lights. When Jon and I drive around to look at lights, he knows I don't like when houses are covered in random colors and designs, some blinking/not blinking, etc. I guess I just like a nice uniformed, balanced look!

Christmas is my favorite holiday/season. I love pretty much everything about it - being with family, celebrating the birth of Christ, the cold weather, the pretty lights and decorations, the traditions, the carols and hymns we sing, counting blessings, and the overall feeling of 'good will toward men'.

 I also love to see kids' faces when they talk about Santa Claus or see him. Our ward party was Saturday night, and I got to be Santa's helper and tell him the names of the children when they approached him. All of their eyes would light up when they came around the corner and saw him sitting there in the foyer!

We leave for Utah on Thursday, and I am so excited to see Jon's family and spend Christmas with them! I am grateful we get along so well and couldn't ask to be part of a better, loving family. I will miss my family, but I am grateful I have 3 (soon to be 4) nieces and nephews who are only 3 hours away!