A GIVEAWAY and A GUEST

Keep looking for that white tree and we are going to show you some ways to use it soon.  I also made a run to Hobby Lobby this week and will show you some of their best buys in ornaments this year…If you live near me you probably won’t find them, as I bought all of them. Trees are everywhere in my shop but I just cannot bring myself to work on one until the temperature gets below 90. Also, if you have any specific things you would like me to post on, any “how to’s”,any questions you have.  I know a little about a lot of things, but I know a LOT about trees.
I did finish the fall wreath and will show it to you in the next post…
I have all but one of the ornament giveaways shipped and why not add one more.  So, if you would like a few ornaments, because they are overtaking my house, leave a comment on this post…Parker and Jack are here for the entire weekend, so one of them will draw MONDAY night…. That gives you a really good chance….just a couple of days of comments.
Another Christmas lover is Gretta at The John’s Family, Enjoy her guest post and stop by and visit her. 
I am married to an incredible man named David & we have 4 amazing kids ages 15, 9, 7, & 5.  We are blessed to be able to home school our children and are enjoying this new journey in our lives.  I also enjoy making handmade jewelry and crafts, playing piano and creating photo books to capture fun times we enjoy with family and friends.
Christmas is my favorite time of the year because it brings families together, people all throughout the world focus on Jesus Christ and there is something magical about the Christmas season.  I was raised in a home that had some wonderful family traditions like delicious recipes that were made year after year for Christmas celebrations, extended family gatherings that included Dirty Santa and even a few gag gifts and my personal favorite: our yearly Christmas ornament.  My parents bought me and my sister a special Christmas ornament each year. The tradition began with my very first Christmas. My first Christmas, I received a "Baby's 1st Christmas 1977" ball ornament and one of my cousins made me a Winnie the Pooh dough ornament because I had a Winnie the Pooh nursery.
My grandmother and my two aunts (on my Mom's side of the family) also joined in this yearly ornament tradition.  Each year, we received an ornament from all of them so as we grew up, we got 4 ornaments to add to our collection each year. The ornaments from my parents were always related to something we enjoyed that year (a particular cartoon character, a piano, Barbies, etc) or were from a particular place we had visited.  Our family grew up camping and taking lots of road trips to various places and one of my Mom's favorite things to do on our trips was find a Christmas shop.  Often at these shops, we would find an ornament we just "had to have" and that would end up being our yearly Christmas ornament. 
Each Christmas, as I was growing up, this tradition was creating a Christmas ornament collection that I would one day enjoy as an adult.  In fact, when I married David in 2000, I had enough ornaments from our yearly Christmas ornament gift to fill an entire 6 1/2 foot Christmas tree!  My mother in law wondered where I got all those ornaments and loved the tradition of giving a Christmas ornament so much that she bought David his own ornament that year also to add to our first Christmas tree together.  We have continued this tradition of giving a yearly Christmas ornament to our own children.  Beginning with their very first Christmas, we buy them an ornament.  Like my parents did, it is usually related to something they like that particular year (Veggie Tales, penguins, Barbies, etc) or something they accomplished that year. It is our hope that one day our children will enjoy the same memory-filled Christmases as they fill their own trees with their special ornaments from years past.

Even though I am married with 4 kids, the tradition of receiving a yearly Christmas ornament still continues with my family.  Each Christmas, David & I still receive 3 ornaments (one from my parents and from each of my aunts) and our children receive the same.  My sister and her husband have also joined in to the yearly exchange and give each of our kids a special ornament each year also. My grandmother passed away in 2003 and one of the most precious Christmases for me was putting up my tree the year she had passed away.  I had 26 ornaments she had given me to hang on my tree and each of them had her handwriting somewhere on them.  You see, the person who gives the ornaments always writes the year they gave it (if the year isn't on the ornament somewhere) and their name or initials.  That way, there is no questioning when we got the ornament or who gave it to us years down the road. The first Christmas David & I were married, we put up our tree and then sat on the couch and enjoyed the twinkling lights and a tree filled with treasured family ornaments from people that love us.  Now during the holidays, when people comment on our trees, David always tells them "These are not just trees...they are our family.  Our trees are deeper than Christmas veneer because my wife, our marriage and our 4 kids are represented on our trees and it creates a warmth in my heart every time I look at them." 
I want to encourage you to consider starting your own tradition of giving a yearly ornament to your children, grandchildren, niece/nephew, etc.  It creates a lasting memory for your children and a legacy that lives on after you are gone. 
This is something we have done in our family also…and now do for the grandkids…..nothing like a good ornament collection.