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It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

I’m so excited, this weekend we finally got our tree. Yeah, I know, I told you that we put up MY tree the weekend of Thanksgiving, and I love that this is my view from my office, clutter and all.

my fancy tree

But that’s not OUR tree. “Our tree” is the one we go cut down and bring home. “Our tree” is the one that scatters pine needles throughout my house, putting my OCD into overdrive while making the house SMELL like Christmas. “Our tree” is the one we load up with our family’s ornament collection which dates back to 1969 and is still growing every year.

So while we had my fancy tree set up, it didn’t really feel like Christmas around here until Sunday afternoon when my husband finally decided it was “now or never” and loaded the kids in the car to drive out to our favorite tree farm. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to accompany them on the hunt for the perfect Christmas tree because I’m still babying my foot and tromping over soggy, uneven ground didn’t seem like the brightest idea. But I was happy to pour the eggnog and help them decorate when they got home.

Decorating the Tree

Both my husband and I have ornaments dating back to our childhood that we took with us when we got married and started our own home. Like this one that my mom bought to commemorate my first Christmas.

And this nativity that my husband’s father made.

homemade-wooden-nativity-ornament

As we had our own kids, we started the same tradition. I love this Hallmark Keepsake ornament that I bought for my daughter the year she was one. She was always into something, so when I saw this, I had to have it.

christmas-ornament

And what would a family tree be without a few homemade ornaments from the kids’ school pictures?

school photo wreath Christmas tree ornament

Those are just some of my favorites. There are so many.

This year Hallmark invited us to choose one of their Keepsake Ornaments for each member of our family to add to our collection. I had so much fun picking out ornaments that fit each one of us.

A little caroler for my older daughter who never stops singing.

Hallmark-Keepsake-Ornaments-2014

For my “little drummer boy,” an elf that plays “Bang The Drum All Day” — much to all of our amusement.

Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments 2014:

For my husband, my guitar hero, this one plays Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree.

Hallmark-Keepsake-Ornaments-2014-Rocking-Around-the-Christmas-Tree

R was around the day I was shopping for ornaments and she had her heart set on Frosty. She does love to play in the snow, so it seemed appropriate, although I had wanted to carry on the music theme with a piano ornament.

Hallmark-Keepsake-Ornaments-2014-Snowman-Ornament

And finally, a 2014 commemorative ornament for me.

Hallmark Keepsake 2014 Commemorative Ornament

The girls enjoyed helping me place the ornaments while the boys watched the Eagles game. Priorities, ya know! Don’t you love the look of extreme concentration??

decorating-the-christmas-tree

Here it is in all its glory.

Our Family Christmas Tree 2014

Yes, I am aware that our tree is topless. For some reason, we weren’t able to find the tree topper when we brought our decorations down from the attic. I have no recollection what it even looked like, but we only found the silver star that I use on “my” tree.

Did you ever watch that show, Trading Spaces on TLC? I used to be addicted to that show. Remember the one designer, Frank? He would always say, “It’s okay if it’s not exactly perfect . . . because nothing in life is.”

I think of him and that simple but profound saying every time I look at our topless tree standing at attention in the corner of our family room, patiently waiting to for another Christmas full of keepsake moments. It’s not perfect, but it’s ours.

I hope you’re enjoying the season and making new memories with your friends and loved ones.

This post is part of a year-long collaboration with Hallmark. All thoughts and opinions and imperfections are my own. 

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20 Responses

  1. I remembered early this year to buy our 2014 Hallmark ornaments. We’ve been collecting Curious George ornaments for our son. And we have a big collection of Hallmark ornaments!! Love them. (And I totally loved Trading Spaces. I would stay home on Saturday nights to watch it.)

  2. Our tree doesn’t have a topper either, we never can find one we like that works with our tree. I kinda like it that way. I love Hallmark ornaments they are some of my favorite.

  3. ha ha….totally remember Frank. Used to watch it back before kids when I had time to actually think about ‘decorating’ the house. I buy an ornament for each kid every year that commemorates something they learned or got involved with that year. We’ve about maxed out on the sports, so now Mom is going to have to start getting creative. Wonder if they have one for first pimple or got grounded for the first time as we enter the pre-teen years! ha!

  4. I love your design aesthetic! What a beautiful tree!! and it is so true– while nothing is perfect ( unless you have a hollywood set design team constructing your Christmas decor) when it is yours- it feels pretty much perfect.

  5. I love looking at our tree. I wish I could keep it up year round. We too have special keepsakes ornaments. I love the ones you chose for each member of your family! So cute!

  6. Your tree is so much like ours – each ornament has a special meaning – this is why we always put if up together – there are photographs of the kids from each year, ornaments commemorating our wedding, births, and new home, one my grandmother made for me, one dedicated to each of our travels and ones given to the kids each year. So adore the love on your tree.

  7. I LOVE LOVE unwrapping ornaments and going through all those memories!! (Especially those little photo ornaments from preschool or CBS when they were SO WIDDLE!)

    This year, I let the kids hang up my ornaments from childhood and they were fascinated! We even have a few my great grandmother’s ornaments! THAT is what makes a tree special!

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