O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

Years ago, my mother decided that she wanted to have a theme tree for Christmas. All the kids were grown to the point that she was no longer receiving the ornaments made at school, so by golly, she was making a fresh start. She got all new ornaments and created a Santa Claus Tree. She mixed clear lights and red balls with Santas of every shape, size, and color. It was fantastic - looked like something from the Festival of Trees.

Wanting my own beautiful and unique Christmas decor, the following year I created my little trio of trees. I had these three lodgepole pines (the same ones Cam used this year to go around our nativity) that I grouped together on our windowseat, and I decorated them with clear lights, pinecones, plastic berries tied with raffia, glittery tufts of dried weeds, and dark cranberry and pearly cream colored balls with raffia bows. I nestled those three trees on a blanket that looked like snow and set the two piece nativity beneath the branches. It was, and remains, the craftiest thing I have ever done.

Then I took things just a little too far. I wrapped every single present in brown kraft paper and tied a raffia bow (seriously, you can do almost anything with raffia) around the middle. Then with a hot glue gun, I added a pinecone, or a berry and some glittery dried weeds.

Merry Crafty Christmas!

Oh, how it's all changed! For one thing, that chubby-cheeked little baby in that picture up there is turning eleven in about three weeks. And we no longer have the trio out. We have a big artificial tree in the corner of our front room that is decorated with a mishmash of ornaments. There is no theme. The lights and the balls are glowing with every color and silver tinsel garland drapes between different ornaments that tell the story of our family.

Little angels for the babies we lost.

And now, one for Jeffrey.

We have a preschool gingerbread boy...

and puzzle piece wreaths,

golden pasta from my golden-haired boy,

a motorcycle for Cam,

and can you guess who this one belongs to?

It's a glorious tree - and no amount of raffia or color-coordinated ornaments and presents could ever be as fun to put together as this is.

At least for now.

What does your tree look like?

Theme or no theme?