Christmas Tree Souvenirs

Hey There!

It’s that time of the year again! Time to decorate the Christmas tree.

A new tree is something that’s been on my list for a year or two now, and will probably stay on that list for another year or so. Eventually, I’d like a taller tree as the one we have now is pretty short. We have it up on a crate for some height.

What I do love about our tree is the decorations.

It’s something that I borrowed from my mother when The Fellow and I got together – getting ornaments as souvenirs when we travel. Her tree is huge, and now it’s becoming hard to squeeze in any more ornaments!

They’re the perfect way to bring back memories from vacations and not clutter the house.

They’re small, and you can find some really neat ones. Then, once a year, you have this wonderful road map of your lives together.

We have a Canadian flag ornament from when we got engaged, a Guinness cup from our honeymoon, and this year we are also adding a few different ornaments for Little Bit’s first Christmas.

One of my favorite things to do is to get a clear ornament from the Dollar Tree and fill it myself. That way you can make your own keepsakes. For example, one of Little Bit’s ornaments has one of her newborn hats and a hospital band.

I love seeing how far we’ve come, and eventually it will be as full as my parents!

What are your favorite ornaments and the stories that go with them? I’d love to hear about them!

Christmas Traditions

Well, friends, Christmas has come and gone. I hate to admit it, but I barely managed to get all of the gifts finished and wrapped with minimal last-minute panic. There always seems to be at least one gift that takes all the way to Christmas Eve to finish.

I have to say the Fellow did awesome with his gifts – a giant, fuzzy blanket (one of my favorite things) and a pour-over coffee pot – two things I’ve been wanting, but kept putting off getting myself. Those are the best types of presents!

Christmas Day stays stressful trying to make travel plans and get to two family gatherings.

Christmas Day the Fellow had to work, so I headed to my family’s Christmas. After a brief mix-up with directions, trying to meet up with Grammy, we finally made it down home.

My family always eats oyster stew for breakfast on Christmas morning. With us getting there a bit late though, we somehow managed to stay on coffee and missed the stew! I did get some yummy fried oysters at lunch though.

We exchanged gifts, and I got to open a little box that I’ve seen at least 24 times before, but this time it was on my pile of gifts – a tea towel calendar. As it says on the box, “Use it  as a calendar for a year; use it as a towel forever!” My mother gifts one to both of my grandmothers every single Christmas. With the purchase of the new house, she added me to the list.

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I had a wonderful Christmas time with both of our families and friends – good food, conversation, Christmas carols, and holiday spirit. And now Happy New Year!