Skip to main content

When Your Tree Tells a Story {Christmas Home Tour}

Our red and gold family tree


My late Grandfather's ornament.  He loved birds and I think of him each time a cardinal pays me a visit.
Crystal cross from an ornament exchange trade with my Mom's group years ago.
For the coffee lover in the family ~me!
The peacock reminds me of my mother who always had one on her tree.  I loved to run my palm across the feather.
My boys at ages three and four.  Were they ever that small?  
The house to symbolize the first home we bought.  My best friend gave me a new ornament every year from the Bride's Tree set similar to this one.  It was a lovely tradition  and each ornament is full of sentiment.
Do you know the pickle ornament tradition?  You should!

A hand-painted Santa made for me by my babysitter in 1979.   

Our wedding ball ornament.  A gift from my mother that recalls my wedding gown perfectly.

A wooden carved reindeer found in a quaint village shop near Chicago.


Santa's gift to my eldest son last year.  He still does.


See our kids' tree tradition here.


Stop by the Nesting Place to see the 2011 Christmas Tour of Homes

Labels:

Comments

  1. The Happy MotherDecember 16, 2011 at 12:38 PM

    Beautiful tree! I love that you do the pickle. In college, when I worked at Crate&Barrel, they sold pickles with the other ornaments. I was unfamiliar with the tradition, but the other employees explained it to me. I loved telling customers about it. I should find one for our tree!

    ReplyDelete
  2. bobbiDecember 16, 2011 at 2:40 PM

    Wow, are you sure you have kids?? Your tree is gorgeous. It looks like it belongs in a child-free model home. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jennifer {Studio JRU}December 16, 2011 at 10:21 PM

    Sigh. A Christmas tree with a story is the best. Full of memories. Your tree is beautiful! We also do the pickle ornament! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sarah ReinhardDecember 17, 2011 at 9:35 PM

    Your photos are so inspiring! (And I am having a very bah humbuggy sort of season, so I appreciate it double much.) :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. ktDecember 18, 2011 at 2:55 AM

    Great idea for a post...you've inspired me to blog about some of my favorite ornaments too. Lovely tree.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Miss CharmingDecember 22, 2011 at 9:00 PM

    Such a big beautiful tree. I like how you showcased some of your favorite ornaments. (Gorgeous peacock.)

    Your wedding ornament is a great idea. Last week my mom sent me a clear ornament filled with fabric strips from my wedding reception. She had forgotten that she had it and just mailed it to me. (The funny thing is that I have been married for 18 years.) I think I appreciate it more now than if she had given it to me right after the wedding.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

~Grace and peace to you~

Popular posts from this blog

Locally Grown {stuffed green peppers recipe}

  Last weekend we took the whole family to a nearby produce stand.  We were craving something that tasted fresh from the garden and since I don't have my own garden, we found this place.     The fields were full of fall-colored flowered.  Can't wait for those cooler days to come.         But for now, we are reveling in the height of summer sunshine and produce.       It's easy to go overboard here and buy much more than you can use in the next few days.  I don't even like okra but they look so inviting in those cute blue crates.     These tomatoes inspired a caprese salad for lunch: tomato slices cut into quarters, hunks of fresh mozzarella, snipped basil leaves, salt, pepper and drizzles of olive oil and red wine vinegar.       These strawberries wound up being dunked in Silky Chocolate Fondue .       Every girl dreams of doing her shopping with one of these adorable woven baskets, doesn't she?       Even the boys had fun playing in the sand while I took m
6 comments
Read more

Savoring Summer {Staying in the Season}

The desk full of binders, calendars, sports schedules and dreamy ideas is where I currently find myself, while my mind continues to stray back to the mountains and clouds of our trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota. We have been home for a week and I decided in future, I must come home better mentally prepared for the onslaught of emails and to-do items that pile up when we go away for two whole weeks. The fact that school resumes one week from today only intensifies the pressure to get it all done right away. Usually at this point in August I am eager for cooler, less humid days hinting at the beauty of spicy Autumn flavors. Not this year. I am so invigorated by my return to normal movement following the long recovery from knee surgery that I don't want these summery days to end. At least not until they officially end on September 23, 2014. This year feels like a do-over, the last one so consumed by injury, pain and slow, slow, slow recovery. My mind is bursti
1 comment
Read more

Petals :: 52 Photos Project

Where I live the Bradford Pears have bloomed and blown and the Cherry Blossoms are in full blossom.  Even though that means our allergy season is now officially underway, I cannot help opening our windows every morning in hopes of hearing the birds singing to greet the day.  Springtime has conveniently coincided with my personal recovery process from knee surgery.  As I am slowly re-gaining mobility on crutches it seems an added encouragement that the weather is also improving and the trees are welcoming my return with their flowers. What a treat it would be to be able to put down my crutches in time for Easter Sunday and walk again on my own! (I am doubtful but one can hope.) Sharing with 52 Photos Project :: Petals
4 comments
Read more