So this was Christmas: The Tree
My Christmas tree is very special to me. Sure it's not real fancy but I don't think I'll ever part with it. It's got a handmade sort of feel to it and I think it is beautiful! Plus, it's the perfect size for our tiny living room. When my grandparents got off their mission, my grandma started purging all their Nauvoo stuff. And since Jeff and I were dirt-poor newly weds with absolutely zero Christmas decorations and no $$$ to buy any, she let me have everything from their Christmas in Nauvoo.... the tree, two strands of Santa's, a string of handmade knitted mittens, jingle bells in red, yellow, and blue, and these funny angel and Santa stick people.
The Nauvoo ornaments.
Not exactly a Nauvoo ornament in the sense my grandparents gave this yarn doll angel to me, but I did buy it at some random museum in Nebraska on our drive out to see them on their mission! Had to have it, even thought it cost a pretty penny, because my grandma would spend hours making yarn dolls with me as a kid. 
Our neighbor Vickie collects ladybugs... she has probably 3,000 of them in her house... so naturally we have a ladybug for good luck on our tree.
Just in case we forget our names.
Or our anniversary.
My mom's tree has about 4,567 ornaments on it (total guess but I'm sure I'm close) so she felt sad our tree the first few years of our marriage was sort of naked. Thanks to her, I now have snowflakes, and various handmade wooden and metal ornaments of gingerbread men, candy canes, sleighs, bells, Santas, and snowmen.
We bought these metal ornaments on super clearance the first year we were married. Jeff picked them out and they match the decor perfectly!
Kind of random to have a bird house on the tree but it makes me laugh every time I see it. My grandma always find some creative way to give me birthday or Christmas money and one year it was stuffed inside this birdhouse. It reminds me of her so I'm keeping it!
Pearl made me this tree out of a cinnamon stick, garland, and buttons at daycare. Isn't it awesome? She did the buttons all by herself!
I can't remember if my grandpa or my cousin, Zac, made everyone these little tops. I'm leaning to my grandpa. Jeff will remember for sure! 
I made these felt mittens and socks the year my grandma died. I was actually finishing them when we got the call to get to the hospital.
Speaking of my grandma, a couple of very special ornaments in addition to the whole Nauvoo start of our Christmas tree. My grandma died three days before Christmas seven years ago. It was unexpected and devastating. That year, our friend Palmer got me this ornament and poem. I cried, my aunts cried, and I still cry when I see it. 
The year after my grandma died, my grandpa took all their stain glass from the Peacock Cash Store in Orangeville, Utah (My grandma's parents owned the store and it had a big stain glass window in the front. When they tore the building down, my grandma and her siblings split the glass between them.) and had two ornaments made for everyone in the family. He also had my aunts make a history book about the Peacock Cash Store that he gave with them. More tears every time I see these.
Finally, the crowning jewel of my tree... the star Jeff made for me when we were dirt poor. The only thing he had was the toilet paper roll - he "borrowed" some tin foil from his parents. I will never replace it! I love it.
The Nauvoo ornaments.
Not exactly a Nauvoo ornament in the sense my grandparents gave this yarn doll angel to me, but I did buy it at some random museum in Nebraska on our drive out to see them on their mission! Had to have it, even thought it cost a pretty penny, because my grandma would spend hours making yarn dolls with me as a kid. 
Our neighbor Vickie collects ladybugs... she has probably 3,000 of them in her house... so naturally we have a ladybug for good luck on our tree.
Just in case we forget our names.
Or our anniversary.
My mom's tree has about 4,567 ornaments on it (total guess but I'm sure I'm close) so she felt sad our tree the first few years of our marriage was sort of naked. Thanks to her, I now have snowflakes, and various handmade wooden and metal ornaments of gingerbread men, candy canes, sleighs, bells, Santas, and snowmen.
We bought these metal ornaments on super clearance the first year we were married. Jeff picked them out and they match the decor perfectly!
Kind of random to have a bird house on the tree but it makes me laugh every time I see it. My grandma always find some creative way to give me birthday or Christmas money and one year it was stuffed inside this birdhouse. It reminds me of her so I'm keeping it!
Pearl made me this tree out of a cinnamon stick, garland, and buttons at daycare. Isn't it awesome? She did the buttons all by herself!
I can't remember if my grandpa or my cousin, Zac, made everyone these little tops. I'm leaning to my grandpa. Jeff will remember for sure! 
I made these felt mittens and socks the year my grandma died. I was actually finishing them when we got the call to get to the hospital.
Speaking of my grandma, a couple of very special ornaments in addition to the whole Nauvoo start of our Christmas tree. My grandma died three days before Christmas seven years ago. It was unexpected and devastating. That year, our friend Palmer got me this ornament and poem. I cried, my aunts cried, and I still cry when I see it. 
The year after my grandma died, my grandpa took all their stain glass from the Peacock Cash Store in Orangeville, Utah (My grandma's parents owned the store and it had a big stain glass window in the front. When they tore the building down, my grandma and her siblings split the glass between them.) and had two ornaments made for everyone in the family. He also had my aunts make a history book about the Peacock Cash Store that he gave with them. More tears every time I see these.
Finally, the crowning jewel of my tree... the star Jeff made for me when we were dirt poor. The only thing he had was the toilet paper roll - he "borrowed" some tin foil from his parents. I will never replace it! I love it.
4 comments:
Zac made them...
I'm thinking we need to make the star bigger - how about next year Pearl, Cole and I make a star out of a paper towel roll???
I love our tree too!
Great decorations. Our tree is pretty naked every year but hopefully with every passing year we will add more. I can't believe you have so many different trees. That's awesome.
BTW - That takes real dedication to have this blog and your other daily photo blog too. That is really inspirational or maybe insane. J/K. I was thinking I might attempt a weekly photo blog.
Zac made the top. I won't tell him you forgot!
Aunt Sugar
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