Oh Tannenbaum!!

On Sunday we put up our Christmas decorations, including the tree.

Tabby got the honor of putting the first ornament on – it is one we got in Disneyland and has a photo of all of us just after the half marathon. 

As is tradition, we each got a new ornament.

Unfortunately, Ben’s got damaged on the way home from Target and couldn’t be put on the tree (it’s a cute baby-grand piano for our little Schroeder) but it has been replaced and he got to put this stuffed bear my mom got him last year on instead … well as much as he gets that concept, anyhow.

Tabby got a tiara (though she was also quite smitten with a Mr Potato Head)

Matt got this great pirate dog (notice the hook-paw).

And I got this great mixer.

With all new business aside, we turned to our old friends. We have a lot of ornaments, but they’re all special and I know where almost all of them came from.

Some of them date back to my childhood. The gold one (left) is from my first Christmas. The apple one is from my second. Apple was one of my first words aside from the mama dada stuff.

These two date back to when Matt and I first celebrated Christmas together in college.

Quite a few have been given to us.

My mom always finds great ones. She gave Tabby the pig one the year she was born (year of the boar) and Ben got the bear one last year.

My maternal grandma, too, gives us beautiful ornaments … everything from the gorgeous Cloisonné ones to the borderline-tacky weiner mobile – both of which we love!

And some of my favorites are the ones people have made for us.

At our wedding shower, my Aunt Peggy, who is a ceramicist, had people create ornaments for us out of clay which she then fired. So we have about 30 various cookie-like ornaments made from clay that various family members crafted for us. They’re some of my favorites.

These are the ornaments I made for my kids last year. It’s a tradition I hope to keep every year, and hopefully one day include them in.

This bird-feeder ornament that my maternal grandma made for me when I was a kid (my sister has a matching one) is another favorite. There is a similar style mailbox one as well.

These beautiful, delicately crocheted snowflakes aren’t really ornaments so-to-speak, but they rest easily on the Christmas tree and look beautiful. They were handmade by my paternal grandmother who passed away just before Tabby was born. They always make me smile when I bring them out.