My Christmas Tree

The fireplace is glowing as I am writing this, keeping me warm while the cold wind howls and blows snow around outside. The candles throughout the house cast a warm glow. Our entire home is decorated for the holidays.

Handmade cloth garland, used in our wedding, drapes down from the ceiling. A collection of Santas is displayed on the bookshelf, while the collection of snowmen resides on the cabinet. Warm, soft Christmas blankets hang over the couch, and red and black buffalo plaid covers the pillows. A tall, thin pine tree stands next to the fireplace, decorated in handmade country-style ornaments and red bulbs. My home is simply magical around the holidays.

My favorite is our Christmas Tree. It is a seven-foot-tall spruce. Lightly snow-flocked branches and twigs with bright red berries give it a winter woods type of feel. White lights shine brightly from within. And it is decorated with memories, moments, and different times from my life.

The red poinsettias and white feathered dove, just below the star at the top, were given to me by my grandmother. They sat on her tree for many years. They remind me of Gramma's Sunday dinners and a connection to generations of Christmases passed.

There is a set of dog tags from my nephew when he enlisted. That holiday season, we made it a point to write to him as often as possible. This ornament reminds me of how proud I am of him and kept him in my thoughts until he came home.

Until last year, I had all of my children's handmade ornaments that they have made over the years. They were all destroyed when our basement flooded. I was crushed. That Christmas, they all got and remade a few of them. I cried when I opened the box, and they are on our tree front and center this year.

I also have a baby's first ornament for each of my children. When I hang them on the tree, I remember the moments each one of them was born. Those are the best moments of my life.

I have an ornament that is a box full of teddy bears. It is the exact number of teddy bears as my children and I, and it was gifted to me by a coworker the first Christmas my ex-wife and I were separated. That was a dark Christmas.

Then there are the first ornaments my husband and I have purchased together. Christmas is very special to both of us, and these ornaments reflect that.

We have ornaments from our vacations together. As I hang them, I remember my children's first time at the ocean, our trip to Washington D.C. (which was also a first for my children), and our visit to historic Gettysburg.

I have a gold filigree cross ornament that reminds me of my time serving in ministry.

We have a wood-burned ornament with a couple of deer and our initials, given to us as a wedding gift.

The most special ornament is one that doesn't hang on my tree. It is a red metal box with a silver tin bow, and it is hinged, so the top opens. This box is empty in memory of a child who lost before she was born. This ornament hangs on my ex-wife's Christmas Tree, and we acknowledge it every year.

So, you see, decorating my tree is a walk down the path of my life. Emotions, good and bad, come flooding back. Memories of moments flash in my mind like a slideshow. When the last ornament is hung, I appreciate the beauty of it all, and the journey it represents moves me every time I finish decorating my tree.

To you and yours, I wish you Happy Holidays, filled with good memories from the past and many opportunities to create new memories.