...And the Prettiest Sight You'll See

YEA!! Our Holly bush finally made berries!!!! :)

This is another season I love. Actually, there isn't a season I don't love. I love driving around and seeing everything everywhere is white. Ya know that one house that is always trashed and stuff scattered everywhere around the yard? Even that yard looks beautiful. Almost meticulous, the way the snow is perched on everything. Breathtaking. And today, it looks as though we live in a snow globe because the flakes are soo big and have fallen all day.

Since there are so many things I love about this time of year, I wanted to hi-light some of them. Today I am going to share a few of my favorite decorations and what they mean to me. This is mostly for posterity, but maybe it might spark you to do the same sometime. I think it is worthwhile.


I guess I should give you a little background first. Every year while I was growing up, it had been our tradition to go to Fruit Basket Flowerland and each child got to pick out a new ornament for the Christmas tree. We SO looked forward to this outing as kids. It's funny because when I look at the ornaments I picked out all those years ago, some are really odd and not Christmas like at all. But I still remember how much I loved it and how excited I was when I put it on the tree. We have continued this tradition with our own kids and it is fun to see what they choose. I know they remember too, because every year they get so excited to remember what they had picked in years past. I know people like "pretty" trees with matching ornaments and ribbon, but my favorite tree is the one that tells stories, has history and not one ornament matches....

This is my Christmas Spider. I think I love it so much because I made it in preschool and has survived the longest with me. Sure it has lost a few legs, but even the sequin eyes are still there! When we first got married, my parents sent me on my way with all the ornaments I had collected over the years. When Nathan saw this he said, "We don't put spiders on trees!!" I had never thought of it as odd at all. Of course I informed him that we do and went on with it. It wasn't until last year when I was relating this story to Saroya's kindergarten teacher, that I found out why I always have a spider on my tree. She told me it was an old German folk story. I was thrilled! Not that it mattered anyway, but now it makes sense. :)

Now comes "Peanut Man". This guy has had a dedicated hook that spins around because we love him so much. Nathan made this for me when he was working at the BLM fighting wild land fires when we had just married. I think he is so creative! All Nathan had was a lighter, peanuts, and a string. The whole family loves this little peanut dude. It still makes me smile thinking about him making a decoration for our first tree...

This ornament is relatively new to me, but it definitely has history. My Grandma Nellie had these frames on her tree with a picture a grandkid in each one. I was given this a few years ago after she died and my grandpa moved. I can remember running to find where I was on the tree each year. I always knew we were important to my grandma, and the tree always looked so beautiful. I am so thankful to have it, even if I do have a bouffant.


I love this Santa because I gave it to my sister and she made it for me. All I gave her was this wooden cut out and a picture. No lines, guides or anything. I was stunned to see how she even did it! Lots of detail in this guy that you can't see in this picture. If you are ever at my house, have a look! :) And who can't relate to his sentiments?

The Christmas Village is something that Nathan & I have decided to do since we got married. Nathan has pretty much taken over putting it up every year, but I love watching his creativity. Every year there is a different story to go along with the scene. He collects things from around the house and outside to go it all. It has become pretty elaborate. Each piece represents something important in our lives. For instance... When Nathan was growing up, his parents owned a motel. So this "Bed & Breakfast" represents his childhood and home at Christmastime.

Our first Christmas together, I was working at a Credit Union and did until we moved to Michigan. I loved working there, and it helped to provide us with a stable living while we were young and when we had Ethan. So this piece represents that time in our lives. I should mention that my Grandma bought the first village pieces for us and I am so thankful. She wanted them to be meaningful and they are. The past few years, Nathan has gone to her house and set up a village for her to enjoy too. It's never the same, and I love it!

This last thing is not one of my decorations, but I couldn't help adding it. We were leaving Gymnastics last night and as I was running for the van, I turned to see where Jaleigh was....

Take time and enjoy this season before it is over. There is magic found everywhere, even in huge plastic nativity displays.