Saturday, December 1

Good morning, December!!

Tis the last month of the year, the lovely month of December. For some there is the celebration of Christmas, for others it is Hannukah and then Kwanza.  It's a time that brings families together in many corners of the world. 
Here in our little "corner of the world" in Minnesota the weather is unusually mild. Today the temperature will reach near 50 degrees and a little rain is predicted!  More often at this time of year, there is a blanket of snow on the ground but not this year. There was no snow at this time last year either!  I guess I wouldn't mind if Mother Nature waited til Christmas Eve to add a dusting of snow for that "white Christmas".  But I would wish for just a dusting so that travel is not affected. And, oh, if it was only that easy to wish and it would be so!! Life is so often full of ups and downs, some expected, some not, some work out, some not. Just last year at this time, I was having a bit of "down" time with unexplained health issues (got answers in the spring and doing well now). At the same time, I was having an "up" time because I was busy doing my Christmas decorating, something I just love to do! It's a time filled with so many memories as I get out special arrangements, decorate the trees, and read familiar stories. Doing all those things was extra-special last year because as I shared in this post, our Christmas trees and decorations were to be featured in Womeninc magazine. Late this fall, though, the magazine "took a break" and the December issue will not be published. I'm hopeful the magazine will return soon but in the meantime, editor, Kay Sauck posted the article and photos at the Womeninc website. Just go here and read the article and you'll see the lovely photo of the tree in our basement family room. It's loaded with 40+ years worth of ornaments.
I'm thinking that I will share the story of some of those ornaments in the coming days. If someone asked me, I could probably tell you exactly where each and every ornament came from or who made it or gave it to me. I smile just thinking of all the family and friends and memories tied to those ornaments.
And now, I had a thought.........I wondered........would you like a chance to win one of my handmade ornaments? I would love to surprise one lucky reader with one of my real egg ornaments (like the one with the little blue angel in the first photo above). All you have to do is leave a comment and tell me your favorite ornament and why it's a favorite. I'll need your name and link back to your blog or your e-mail address. You'll have until December 8th at midnight CST to leave your comment. Now it's time to get out the Christmas tunes and enjoy this festive season! Have a lovely day!
Sandi

9 comments:

Apple Avenue Quilts said...

Very nice article about you and your lovely tree. My favorite ornaments(I can't choose just one of them)are the ones my kids made. I have some from preschool and some from elementary school. They always hold a special place on my tree. My daughter is still making me lovely ornaments every year. They are always a special gift.

Kate said...

Love the pix of your ornaments on the tree and am looking forward to hearing the stories behind them. We put up our tree yesterday and as we hung each ornament we reminisced about it - wonderful to have those memories. I couldn't possibly pick one favourite ornament ... they're all special.

Diane Wild said...

Bummer about WomanInc but was glad I could read the article online. Thanks for the link. I have many favorite ornaments but this year I have to say that the Dachshund ornament my friend Tammy gave me last summer is very special to me. Thank you for sharing your collection. (By the way, I have the answer to my question to you a few weeks ago.)

Anonymous said...

That's like asking me to choose my favorite child. I have 4 trees, one is themed (Pixar ornaments this year), one minis, one for my American Girl dolls, and the "family" tree. Like yours, it has ornaments from our 46 years of marriage, my childhood, our travels, and even one ornament from my grandmother's childhood tree in Sweden. But the paper ornaments our kids made hold a special place in my heart. They're still on the tree, sometimes need repair, but they're special.

Needled Mom said...

That is such a shame about the magazine taking a break. I remember your preparations for last years shoot so well.

I love pulling out the boxes of ornaments. I think my favorite ornament is one that my folks had on their tree. It is a little wooden angel who holds a heart out in front of her. When my DH and I started dating (at 16 and 17) we wrote our initials on the heart. I'm glad I never had to change those initials!!!

Christine M said...

What lovely ornaments. My favourites are always handmade ones, either made by my boys, myself or one that someone has made especially for me. Thank you for the lovely giveaway.

Pam said...

What a lovely tree, hand made decs are the best. My favourite tree decoration is a little wooden robin that my grandfather carved to celebrate my birth, he made one for each of us, it is painted and has real feathers attached to the wings and tail. It is now 62 years old and although a bit shabby it has pride of place.

annemarie said...

Your tree is beautiful - wish I could see it in person! My favorite ornament(s) are the ones my children made when they were in grade school - priceless. Now they are grown with children of their own - the good old days were the bes!!

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

Each of my boys (ages 22 & 19) have an egg ornament that was made for them when they were bed babies in church, by the ladies (& 1 man) who worked the bed babies room every Sunday for over 30 years. Their name and the year is written on their eggs. They are hung way up top on our tree each year. I know where most of our ornaments came from, and stories behind almost all of them. It is so much fun to unpack them each year.

"Peace can be found in the piecing of a quilt."
©SEA 2001-2018