Back in December of 1966, when I was 16 years old, (I'll wait while you do the math...), I went to my friend Anne's house, and was in awe of her Christmas tree. Her mother was very much in to decorating for every season, but this tree was so covered with ornaments and lights that it was hard to think where you might put one more. You could hardly see the green of the tree! I vowed in my heart that day, that some day I would have a tree like that.
A year later, Anne and I were in a modern dance class together, and we were supposed to make up a dance with some other girls, with costumes on, as soldiers, to Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker music. Her mother came to our performance, and gave us each a wrapped gift of a toy soldier/Nutcracker ornament, who looked familiarly like us, in our blue tights, red tunics, and tall hats. I cherished this, and thought, "This is the first ornament for my tree!"
From then on, I made a plan to buy at least one lovely ornament each year. By the time I had moved out of my Mom's house and had my own tree to decorate, I didn't have that many ornaments of my own, and had to subsidize the tree with packages of shiny metallic ball ornaments. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I found a recipe for "salt dough" ornaments, that could be painted, baked and shellacked. They've lasted a surprisingly long time, and so far only the snowman has lost his carrot nose and one carefully made angel was chewed up by our dog and then spit out because of the saltiness. Both of my kids and I made more years later, trying to duplicate favorites, and even pressing a dog's paw into the dough for posterity.
The kids brought craftily made treasures home from school. The story of one my daughter made in preschool is told every year. She always gives the disclaimer that she was only 3, and no one told her what it was supposed to be or that it would be hanging. Her little felt snowman hangs usually in the back of the tree with his boots on his head and his hat on the bottom. .....Darling!
Wrapped candy canes are something else to fill in with, but not too near the bottom of the tree, since the aroma may be too tempting for dogs. One dog we had, had became quite adept at snatching a cane from the tree. We watched as she settled down with it between her paws, chewed the cellophane open and licked the lovely peppermint with her eyes closed, looking dreamy at the lusciousness of it all.
So then there's the purchase of the tree. A real tree! Some people go somewhere in the woods to chop down the perfect specimen. We did that one time, and my daughter ended up scrunched into the back of our VW Adventurewagen, unhappily with it for the long drive home. One of the local lots suffices since then. My son and I found that the choosing of the tree went much quicker when his sister went off to college. We may not have been quite as discerning, but we could be in and out with a nice, full tree within 15 minutes, giving each other a high five!
A few years later, I had a job as a department store "trimmer". During the year, we'd change displays, and dress the mannequins in the latest styles. As the holidays approached, we dressed the entire store up for Christmas, to be ready for the day after Thanksgiving. The trees that were throughout the store had to be adorned with new lights, usually about 8 strands per tree and they were carefully wrapped around each branch, reaching deep in toward the trunk, to make a 3D effect. The maliable branches were "fluffed" to put them into the shape of a perfect tree after being stored away all year. I still insist on doing my own lights on our tree at home. Each year I use about 8 or 9 strands of multicolored lights and a couple of strands of a solid color to use as a lit garland, swirling from top to bottom. One year I used clear white for the main lights with a swirl of red lights like a candy cane. This isn't advised, since folks wished they had sunglasses on if they sat in the room with the tree.
When putting on the lights, it's good to have some mood music, like Bing Crosby, or Amy Grant's Christmas album, or at my house my husband will play piano so I can sing as I decorate. It's a slow process though, so I recommend lighting a fire in the fireplace, sharing some eggnog with whiskey in it, and watching "It's a Wonderful Life" for entertainment. It's fun to make sure to have the bell ornaments ready for the end when the angel gets his wings!
Ribbon, wide, with wire on the edges, can also be used as a garland. Yard length pieces of ribbon can look wispy, when they're bent and curled sort of like ribbon candy winding through the branches. Simple bows can be made as well to fill in spaces, from some other velvety or shiny wired ribbon to help them keep their shape and attached with more wire to the branches. All these decorations last from year to year, and more can be added each year.
Once folks know that you like Christmas ornaments, it's likely that you'll receive a few as gifts. When I remarried, I made a tradition of giving a "family" ornament to everyone in our new combined family each year. The grandchildren are starting to notice the same snowmen, sleds, and angels that they have on their own tree.
Back in the day when my kids were younger, we had a lot of pets. Among them at one point, we had a dove and two parakeets. Every year, as soon as we got our tree set up in the living room, the birds were let loose to play in it. One Christmas eve, the birds were let out by one of the kids, to fly into the decorated tree. One of the parakeets was excited to see a bayberry candle lit on the mantle, and zoomed over to sit on the edge of it. Everyone screamed at her, but it took her little bottom a couple of seconds to realize the heat. She flew off, unharmed, but the room smelled like burnt feathers.
The kids and I started a tradition of putting collections of baubles together on the tree. The angels always are delegated to "fly" around the top. There is usually an imperfection, or hole in the shape of the tree, so the birds populate that area. The 3 wise men and any characters from the Christmas story are close by the angels, but the Santas are given a lower spot, not to outdo Jesus, and of course the nutcrackers and soldiers (especially my first ornament) are pretty much in front. Stories have to be told about many of the cherished ones, like a few that were my Mom's, the little Russian Santa on skis that looks more tattered every year. Having designated places for certain things keeps guests more interested and they sometimes joke about where things should go, trying to get the "system" right. Little kids can hang things anywhere though, since after they leave I'll probably move them.: )
A new tradition has developed the last few years, that has become my daughter's favorite. She's been organizing a tree decorating party and inviting her friends. It really turned into a good party when my husband surprised everyone with cracked crab, champagne, eggnog and brandy. It's been a delicious tradition ever since, with some of the same friends coming each year. They all bring some goodies to share, and patiently listen to our stories of the ornaments while we watch Elf, or National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
My husband brought with him and his family the angel we place on the top, and the Danish tradition of Dancing Around the Christmas Tree. Someone mentioned at Thanksgiving, that it's not really dancing. That's true, but on Christmas Eve, before the gifts are opened, the tree is painstakingly moved out from the corner and the family holds hands around it. Grandpa, (my husband), usually calls out the song we'll sing, and then we sort of walk/march around the tree singing "Silent Night". Next he calls out "Jingle Bells", and we turn and go the opposite direction, with teenagers' eyes rolling and the happy smiles of the little ones. One time he said, "Should we do another song?", and a granddaughter cried out, "How about Old MacDonald Had a Farm!". Therefore, smiling, we marched (danced) in the other direction to two verses.
So..... It's almost time to buy our tree. What color lights should I use for an accent garland? Should we put the tree in a different corner of the room? ........ Actually, I think since I've written those words, I'm blessed to have these little concerns in my life. God bless anyone who reads this please.....and a merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.
A year later, Anne and I were in a modern dance class together, and we were supposed to make up a dance with some other girls, with costumes on, as soldiers, to Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker music. Her mother came to our performance, and gave us each a wrapped gift of a toy soldier/Nutcracker ornament, who looked familiarly like us, in our blue tights, red tunics, and tall hats. I cherished this, and thought, "This is the first ornament for my tree!"
From then on, I made a plan to buy at least one lovely ornament each year. By the time I had moved out of my Mom's house and had my own tree to decorate, I didn't have that many ornaments of my own, and had to subsidize the tree with packages of shiny metallic ball ornaments. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I found a recipe for "salt dough" ornaments, that could be painted, baked and shellacked. They've lasted a surprisingly long time, and so far only the snowman has lost his carrot nose and one carefully made angel was chewed up by our dog and then spit out because of the saltiness. Both of my kids and I made more years later, trying to duplicate favorites, and even pressing a dog's paw into the dough for posterity.
The kids brought craftily made treasures home from school. The story of one my daughter made in preschool is told every year. She always gives the disclaimer that she was only 3, and no one told her what it was supposed to be or that it would be hanging. Her little felt snowman hangs usually in the back of the tree with his boots on his head and his hat on the bottom. .....Darling!
So then there's the purchase of the tree. A real tree! Some people go somewhere in the woods to chop down the perfect specimen. We did that one time, and my daughter ended up scrunched into the back of our VW Adventurewagen, unhappily with it for the long drive home. One of the local lots suffices since then. My son and I found that the choosing of the tree went much quicker when his sister went off to college. We may not have been quite as discerning, but we could be in and out with a nice, full tree within 15 minutes, giving each other a high five!
A few years later, I had a job as a department store "trimmer". During the year, we'd change displays, and dress the mannequins in the latest styles. As the holidays approached, we dressed the entire store up for Christmas, to be ready for the day after Thanksgiving. The trees that were throughout the store had to be adorned with new lights, usually about 8 strands per tree and they were carefully wrapped around each branch, reaching deep in toward the trunk, to make a 3D effect. The maliable branches were "fluffed" to put them into the shape of a perfect tree after being stored away all year. I still insist on doing my own lights on our tree at home. Each year I use about 8 or 9 strands of multicolored lights and a couple of strands of a solid color to use as a lit garland, swirling from top to bottom. One year I used clear white for the main lights with a swirl of red lights like a candy cane. This isn't advised, since folks wished they had sunglasses on if they sat in the room with the tree.
When putting on the lights, it's good to have some mood music, like Bing Crosby, or Amy Grant's Christmas album, or at my house my husband will play piano so I can sing as I decorate. It's a slow process though, so I recommend lighting a fire in the fireplace, sharing some eggnog with whiskey in it, and watching "It's a Wonderful Life" for entertainment. It's fun to make sure to have the bell ornaments ready for the end when the angel gets his wings!
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| It IS a Wonderful Life!! |
Once folks know that you like Christmas ornaments, it's likely that you'll receive a few as gifts. When I remarried, I made a tradition of giving a "family" ornament to everyone in our new combined family each year. The grandchildren are starting to notice the same snowmen, sleds, and angels that they have on their own tree.
Back in the day when my kids were younger, we had a lot of pets. Among them at one point, we had a dove and two parakeets. Every year, as soon as we got our tree set up in the living room, the birds were let loose to play in it. One Christmas eve, the birds were let out by one of the kids, to fly into the decorated tree. One of the parakeets was excited to see a bayberry candle lit on the mantle, and zoomed over to sit on the edge of it. Everyone screamed at her, but it took her little bottom a couple of seconds to realize the heat. She flew off, unharmed, but the room smelled like burnt feathers.
The kids and I started a tradition of putting collections of baubles together on the tree. The angels always are delegated to "fly" around the top. There is usually an imperfection, or hole in the shape of the tree, so the birds populate that area. The 3 wise men and any characters from the Christmas story are close by the angels, but the Santas are given a lower spot, not to outdo Jesus, and of course the nutcrackers and soldiers (especially my first ornament) are pretty much in front. Stories have to be told about many of the cherished ones, like a few that were my Mom's, the little Russian Santa on skis that looks more tattered every year. Having designated places for certain things keeps guests more interested and they sometimes joke about where things should go, trying to get the "system" right. Little kids can hang things anywhere though, since after they leave I'll probably move them.: )
A new tradition has developed the last few years, that has become my daughter's favorite. She's been organizing a tree decorating party and inviting her friends. It really turned into a good party when my husband surprised everyone with cracked crab, champagne, eggnog and brandy. It's been a delicious tradition ever since, with some of the same friends coming each year. They all bring some goodies to share, and patiently listen to our stories of the ornaments while we watch Elf, or National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
My husband brought with him and his family the angel we place on the top, and the Danish tradition of Dancing Around the Christmas Tree. Someone mentioned at Thanksgiving, that it's not really dancing. That's true, but on Christmas Eve, before the gifts are opened, the tree is painstakingly moved out from the corner and the family holds hands around it. Grandpa, (my husband), usually calls out the song we'll sing, and then we sort of walk/march around the tree singing "Silent Night". Next he calls out "Jingle Bells", and we turn and go the opposite direction, with teenagers' eyes rolling and the happy smiles of the little ones. One time he said, "Should we do another song?", and a granddaughter cried out, "How about Old MacDonald Had a Farm!". Therefore, smiling, we marched (danced) in the other direction to two verses.
So..... It's almost time to buy our tree. What color lights should I use for an accent garland? Should we put the tree in a different corner of the room? ........ Actually, I think since I've written those words, I'm blessed to have these little concerns in my life. God bless anyone who reads this please.....and a merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.
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