Our family tree

"You can tell a lot about a person by the way they....." I've heard this claim often and each time the statement has a different ending. As for my family, I would say, "You can tell a lot about my family by the way we decorate our Christmas tree."

In our house, each ornament represents a special moment in time and as we decorate the branches of our tree each year, we take a walk down memory lane and we are reminded of how truly blessed we are.

The small white teddy bears and little, red drummer boys represent my childhood. I remember when my mother bought them and I love knowing that she picked them out and touched them as she decorated our family tree. 

Hickory Dickory Dock, Humpty Dumpty and The Old Woman in the Shoe were gifts from my wonderful aunt. My pretty, fifth grade teacher put my name in glitter on a blue ball and our dear, next door neighbor did the same on a bright, red bird. I've proudly put these ornaments on my tree since I was a little girl.

I love imaging my husband carefully making the ornament with his black and white picture in the center of a tin can top when he was a little boy. I saw how carefully he made the bulb for our daughter's first Christmas. The other ornaments in his honor show he loves cooking, football, boating, crabs and the Chesapeake Bay. And, Santa surfing on a remote control represents his ability to flip from American Pickers, to Storage Wars, to a football game in a matter of minutes.

The Brownie Girl Scout, dancer, soccer player and cheerleader represent my daughter. The beautiful angel holding her trumpet shows her love for playing music in the band even today. The collection of Barbies denotes her favorite childhood past time. And, Pokey Little Puppy reminds us of how she likes to take in life at her own slow pace. 

Harry Potter riding on his Quidditch stick reminds us of my son who has read the books time and time again. The car keys represent the year he got his driver's license. Other ornaments show he prefers Coke to Pepsi and that he's famous for trying really hard not to drop Santa's cookies on the way to the fireplace. The many Curious George ornaments represent his everlasting curiosity. 

Each ornament tells a story. For instance, Johnny Quest. I had a crush on him as a kid. There was just something about his blond hair. And then there's Scarlett O'Hara. She represents my southern roots and our shared philosophy, "I'll think about it tomorrow."

The ball picturing George Bailey and his wife Mary reminds us that it truly is "A Wonderful Life." And, the family photo in Angelo's Italian Restaurant in New York City is a special reminder of one of our favorite nights of the year.

We added ornaments to our tree this year from two special friends... a dog house featuring a precious picture of our new dog Buddy and a glimmering, handmade bulb with the logo of the company my son will go to work for upon his graduation. 

If you need to know who we are, just look at our tree. Each ornament tells a little bit about each one of us and of the special friends and family we love at Christmas time and all the whole year through.

Wishing you a happy holiday season filled with all the special memories you share with your family and friends.

Pa Rum Pum Pum Pum!