Takin' Down the Tree

I took down the Christmas tree yesterday. As always, it is more fun to decorate the tree than undecorating it. When the tree is put up in December and the ornament boxes are brought upstairs, unpacking each ornament is visiting an old friend again. Not all ornaments have deep memories but many do.

There is the “World’s Ugliest Barbie” ornament. I had started collecting Barbie ornaments for Ann, and this Barbie looks just like the Barbies I played with as a child. We have a few ugly Barbies and many Christmas Barbie ornaments but Ann announced last year that she doesn’t like them! I always put up at least the World’s Ugliest Barbie each year.

The study hall supervisor at the junior high where I taught was in a ceramics class and made Ann and Patrick each a bell ornament. These were given to me for the first Christmas after the kids were born so are special to me.

Ann dislikes this tree ornament but it is one of my favorites! It was made in 5th grade and has hung on every Christmas tree since then. I wish I had more homemade ornaments from the kids because they are really the best – probably one of the reasons I love the new Traditional Trout!

I have a few nun ornaments but this one is the best because it is homemade. A friend presented it to me one Christmas. A friend of Cori’s made them and she knew she had to get it for me! I collect nuns and, amazingly, did not have one for the Christmas tree.

I add a frou-frou bird to my ornaments each year. There is no logical explanation for wanting these other than I just like the frivolous nature of the birds. It started when Ann and I were in Door County and found one in a Christmas store, and I look for one each year now.

The living room looks bigger now that the tree is down and more light comes into the window where it sat. I’m leaving some of the other decorations up for awhile longer, though.