Each year I get excited about setting up the tree. Sally and I have some wonderful ornaments we've gathered over our few years together. Hanging them brings out some great memories of the wonderful times we had gathering them, and the great places we've been fortunate to visit. This year is even more special as Una is old enough to appreciate what is happening. She's excited about Santa, and enjoyed seeing the different ornaments as we pulled them out of the storage boxes. Since she's told not to touch the tree, she's so cute in leaning in to smell it.
Decorating the tree also makes me nostalgic in another way, and thus, somewhat saddened. While I think of my two older girls (Jenn and Ashley) often, the pulling out of an ornament and glancing to see "Baby's 1st Christmas - 1981" or "First Christmas - 1983" really sends me down memory lane. Good memories, each and every one. No matter how hard I try, there is no stopping the choked up feeling I get. Those memories make you think more intensely of the ones you miss and love. And, not having them with you to relive the experience all over again...well...sucks. We live in such a disbursed world it's so hard to be with everyone every year. Texas, Ohio, California, Colorado, Pennsylvania. Luckily, we do have the memories.
I've created this little slideshow of some special ornaments on the tree this year. We have plenty more, but they are the ones that remind me of Jenn and Ashley. I've inluded ones we have for Una so that Jenn and Ashley could see those, too.
It's just my way of dealing, I think.
Merry Christmas
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2 comments:
This was a great idea, honey! I think the girls will get a kick out of sharing a "virtual tree" with us here in RI, and I know they miss you as much as you miss them.
John -- I love the post and the slideshow. I think I will steal the idea. I also love getting our my ornaments each year and thinking about where we got them or who gave them to us. One I always hang even though it's a bit tacky is one that say "Our First Christmas Together 1988".
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