When I was a young child my parents purchased Christmas ornaments to fill out a fairly large sized tree. They were colorful and twinkly as they caught the rays of illumination from the strings of light. I thought they were beautiful and loved lying on the floor gazing up at the glorious sight that signified a wonderful time of the year. As far as I know my mother was still using those same decorations on the last trees of her life which had steadily become smaller and smaller as she grew older. I don’t think that she ever purchased another ornament to add to her collection. She simply used the ones that she and my father had purchased when they were in their twenties. 

When I first married Christmas came quickly, only two months after my wedding. My husband Mike and I scrambled to purchase a small tree and a couple of boxes of colorful glass ornaments to brighten the branches. They were rather nondescript decorations that filled the bill for celebrating the holiday on the very slim budget of our first year together. 

Unlike my mother, I slowly but surely began collecting Christmas ornaments over the years. Every one of the trinkets that decorate my many trees has a story of time and place and people that I have loved. There are the uniques items festooning my travel tree that remind me of places that Mike and I have visited. My mother collected salt and pepper shakers on her trips with my father. I collect Christmas ornaments. They span years of visiting different places and always remind me of the joy I felt on those trips.

At the turn of this century I spent New Year’s day in Austria where I learned of different symbols that supposedly represent good luck. On the eve of two thousand four just before midnight the owners of the restaurant where we were dining presented us with a box of confections portraying four leaf clovers, lady bugs and cute little pigs all of which represent lucky charms. Somehow I got it in my head to begin purchasing little pig ornaments in the years that followed. When I had a sizeable number of them I created a tree dedicated to the precious creatures that I collect whenever I see one that is unique. 

In my dining room I feature a tree filled with beautiful ornaments made from silver and porcelain and carved wood. Most of them were gifts from friends who knew that I enjoy adding to my Christmas ornaments. Many represent milestones in my life like the birth of a grandchild, the purchase of a new home or a wedding anniversary. I even began adding yearly adorable gingerbread men to mark the passage of time. In the middle of all the glory of the delicate creations hangs a plastic angel whose silver paint has faded over time. She may be incongruous to those who see her amongst the other artfully created trinkets but she means more to me than any of them. I managed to take her from a table of castaways after my Grandma Ulrich died. I had seen her on many a Christmas Eve as we celebrated with my aunts and uncles and cousins. She reminded me of those magical evenings with my grandmother padding among her guests in warm slippers offering her milky over sugared coffee with a big smile on her face. That angel is the star of my tree. 

The main tree that stands in my great room is filled with so many memories that it would take a year of blogs to recite all of the stories behind them. Some reminded me of things that I love like Harry Potter or Mickey Mouse. Many were gifts from friends, coworkers and the youngsters that I taught. There are homemade creations like the one that feature a dear friend’s children when they were toddlers. Now they are both in their forties and fifties. My daughter made another one with a photo of our golden retriever Red. There are ornaments from my mother who noticed that I liked to collect such things and gifts from my friend Marita who brought back cute decorations from her travels around the world. There is a handmade set of Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus ornaments that my friend Pat insisted on buying for me on one of our many Christmas adventures and others from my friend Cappy who loves Christmas as much as I do. There is the sweet gift from Jenny and Eric on the occasion of my fiftieth wedding anniversary as well. I get quite emotional setting up this tree because it reminds me of so many good times and good people. Nothing is there that does not evoke special feelings.

There is one more tree that I set up inside my home. I place it on top of a table so that the whole neighborhood sees it through a large window in the second story of my house. It is the tree that holds the ornaments that have become flawed over time. Some have lost their color. Others are missing parts. It is a tree that would make Charlie Brown smile with delight because while it starts out looking rather ordinary and bleak, somehow it is gorgeous when it is finally donned with items that most people might think to throw away. In many ways it is my favorite tree because it is so humble. The only pretense featured on that tree is the joy of knowing that even the least of my ornaments are beautiful to behold. 

I take my emotional journey down memory lane once each year. Dear people still bring new ornaments to me. I also find some that I know I must have. I may be nearing the need for one more tree that I might tuck away on a countertop or table as my collection continues to grow. I gaze at my twinkling trees just as I did with the one that my parent’s created when I was a child and I feel so much joy and peace. Those trees speak of a life well lived and the people I have known and loved. They are so beautiful to me.