Bells will be ringing...

Wow...there's only a week 'til Christmas!  Where did the time go?   I've been trying to get my Christmas cards out for 2 weeks, but to no avail.  Seems like I keep getting distracted by shiny things & Christmas music.   I hope to get them in the mail on Monday so please don't give up on me.

In the meantime, I finally finished my Christmas decorations.   Since our nest is empty it seems like such a chore to drag out the tree & all the trimmings. But I sure am glad once I do.  The twinkling of Christmas lights seem to make for a happier world.  It's like a little walk down memory lane with each ornament I hang.  I'm not much for traditional trees.  My tree looks like something Dr Seuss would be proud of, sporting all varieties of quirky ornaments like dancing monkeys & bejeweled cows.  It's full of bright colors, pink, purple, red, green & blue.  

I love the mixture of newly discovered ornaments with some of my boys' old favorites.  Each one telling a different story from our lives.  I realized as I put the tree together this year, that it's a very special gumbo filled with ingredients specific to our family.  Once I'm gone nobody else will appreciate all the sweet little memories each ornament brings flooding into my mind & heart.   

Garrett's soccer ball brings back a cute little tan boy wearing glasses and running up and down a soccer field with wild abandon.

 The Woody ornament with the thrice re-glued leg & the word "Caleb" written on the boot bottom makes me think of the cutest little strawberry-blonde boy wearing a pair of undersized Buzz Lightyear pajamas romping through the house, excited for Santa Claus's visit.  

Cammo Santa Claus riding a three-wheeler makes me remember how much Justin loved living up at the feedlot and deer hunting every year.

   

And of course there is the precious red fire truck & indian (the feather kind) that I bought for my grandsons the very first year they joined our forever family.  

I was just about to feel a bit melancholy when I spied the cruiser with the Christmas tree strapped on top which always makes me chuckle.  It reminds me of the year that Caleb & I drove around Baton Rouge with a tree strapped to the top of my car.  It was there for so long that I had forgotten about it by the time I had driven home to park & went tearing into the garage ripping the overhead door off the hinges!   We almost peed ourselves laughing.  Gary will never let me live that down.  

There's Poppa Day's favorite Harley Davidson riding Santa ..the fat cat who reminds me of our longtime cat with a weight problem, Cleo...

 

finally...the most precious ornament of all is the cross reminding us of the reason for the season.  After all, it's why we celebrate in the first place...

I'm quite sure the origin of the Christmas tree has nothing to do with me & my family, but I'm so thankful for every single thing it represents, including the friends & family members it reminds me of.  Each ornament is like a little "movie memory"  in my mind & heart. It makes me feel truly blessed, which is what the season is supposed to do.   

I have 2 other small trees that I put up each year.  Gary's Grinch tree. (The older he gets the more grinchy he seems..but unlike the story, his heart is NOT 2 sizes too small...it's 10 sizes larger!!)  He loves his Grinch tree & I think he enjoys his reputation as a grump sometimes too. 

Finally, my "pepto tree" celebrates all things pink & tacky.  It sits on my back screen porch & I love to gaze at it's gaudiness..usually with a cocktail of some sort in hand.   If you're ever in the neighborhood, stop by & join me!   I'll let you oooh & ahhh at it's spectacular glorious-ness (& provide you with a cocktail of your choice). The more you drink, the more awesome it becomes!

I hope you enjoy the rest of my decorations..including our growing row of Christmas stockings, Gary's vintage "Troy Boy" bear & a centerpiece I threw together using unused ornaments. 

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas season, filled with love, laughter & a feeling of awe for the beautiful gift that God gave us all over 2,000 years ago.

Merry Christmas & God Bless,

Cindy