Oh Christmas Tree

Well, I spent the majority of my weekend dragging the 12 GIANT tupperware containers out of the attic that are dedicated to all things Christmas. We've got everything in there...stuff for trees, stuff for the outside, stuff for the kitchen, stuff I plan to put up one day but because it doesn't match anything else it doesn't go up, books, Christmas hats, stuffed animals. My husband calls them the Christmas bombs. He leaves the house and when he gets back it looks like a devious decorating warhead has mushroom clouded over our home and brought with it all things chochkie. Nevertheless, he puts up with it because hey, it's Christmas! So, I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite items from the 12 deadly tupperwares and my favorite Tree Ornaments.

These two books make it out at Christmastime. I love them both.






Next, my angel collection always makes an appearance. I have always been drawn to Christmas angels. I think because in the nativity story, I try to imagine how Mary and Joseph must have felt after they were visited by angels and how the shepards felt to be told of Christ's birth. I have quite a diverse collection, some are quite old, but I look for a new one every year.

This JOY train was in my home growing up, so it's my little piece of nostalgia. It always reminds me of my own Christmases as a little girl. You are supposed to put little candles in the top, but I have hunted for over 5 years for candles to fit and can't find them anywhere.

Even though I live in southern CA, I can't have Christmas without pine cones! These sit in my garden window. The red sled my friend Adri made me several years back when I was still in VA, I bet she doesn't even know I still own it and put it out every year. It reminds me of when I lived there.




This is what the girls stockings look like. I am completely in love with them! They look like little elf feet! My stocking says the work PEACE across the top. That one is specifically for me. It's my little reminder to slow down and really FEEL the season.




Now on to my tree. When I first got married, my mother gave me all the ornaments from what we called the "candy tree." Growing up we always had two trees in my home. The front room tree and the candy tree. The front room tree was always the most exquisite thing you had ever seen. It looked like it belonged in the windows of Bergdorff's or Nordstrom's. My mom would spend day's putting it together and the theme changed every couple years or so. It was beautiful. She still to this day always has the most beautifully decorated tree I have ever seen each year. Then in our back room, we had the candy tree. It was always nicely done, but just much more whimsical. The theme was completley and totally candyland and everything looked as though you could just pick it right off the tree and eat it. I loved it. As part of my trousseau, my mother passed the candy tree onto me. Over the last 9 years, it's taken on a bit of a life of its own. It's not so much all candy (though that is a pretty prevalent theme) it's just more all things nostalgic Christmas. Every year I try to update the candy pieces since many of them have begun to fall apart, but now there are are some very different ornaments. Here are some of my favorite:

These aren't favorites yet, but they are the newest. Each year I get my daughters ornaments that remind me of them. Genevieve this year recieved a golden carousel pony (she's obsessed with all things pony) and Sydney recieved a princess slipper--for obvious reasons.


We also have little bells all over our tree. These are my wedding bells. At my wedding, we gave these ornaments as favors and whenever anyone would ring a bell, we would have to kiss. They make me smile because I remember that amazing day. Needless to say we did a lot of kissing.

We have Santas and pictures and presents and candy trains

And Candy Garland





And all things peppermint striped

And Sydney's very favorite, handblown glass figurines of all the Nutcracker Ballet characters




AND my tree is MAGIC. Did you know that? Yep, it's full of Christmas Elf magic. See, we have a special portal to Santa. This little letter tube is a direct line to the toy man himself. My daughter writes her Christmas letter to Santa and slips it inside and in the morning, IT'S GONE! Magically transported straight to the North Pole mail room. It's pretty amazing, I know...

Probably my most favorite thing we have on the tree is my Christmas book ornaments. These little books ar a reading advent calendar. Everynight we sit down together as a family and read one of the little Christmas books and then hang it on the tree. It could have poems. little stories; some well known (like rudolf) and some not. On December 24th, the little book contains 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and on Christmas day we read the last and biggest ornament which contains the nativity story. This has turned into such a wonderful family tradition and is becoming more and more exciting each year as my girls get older.

And it's all topped off with a big giant bow!

So, now I ask you, what are your traditions? Blog your tree and decorations and let me know!