O Christmas Tree

Jim and I picked out our live/dead Christmas tree over the weekend. I think of them as live and he thinks of them as dead (since they were chopped down, you get it). Jim grew up cutting down trees from his grandmothers Christmas tree farm and I grew up buying really expensive trees from the Catholic church down the road.

Jim does not mind how I decorate it, its kind of my thing. The only problem is I mind how I decorate it. The first few years we had a fake tree that I tried to decorate like my mom's tree.
Here I am circa 2004 decorating our tree.

 That did not work out because I do not have the ornaments to back up that style. I started buying cheap ball ornaments to hang and decided that I would hence forth only decorate my tree with red and gold ornaments. Only now that makes me sad. I like all the colors. Instead of collecting beautiful ornaments over the years (like I wanted to) I have collected discount ornaments from walmart.

Note the discount ornaments

I have been worried about pleasing everyone else in my life with my tree, when really, who else even cares about my tree but me??

My favorite memories of Christmas are pulling out all the ornaments, each one special and different, each one beautiful.

 2006, Lilly's first Christmas

 2008, Our first Live/Dead tree

  2009, Jack's first Christmas

It's decided then. I will no longer collect ornaments from the after christmas sale in red and gold balls from walmart. I want ornaments from every where I visit. If it is significant, then I want it on my tree. Send me your old ornaments mom, I am ready to carry on the tradition. (Although, it is my tree, so I might have colored lights)