Sweet, Sweet Memories

I opened those big old Rubbermaid bins and it was like opening Pandora's Box...only instead of ills, toils and sickness pouring out....what came pouring out were memories....sweet, sweet memories.

I unwrapped and I smiled. I unwrapped and I laughed. From things I made when the kids were little, to things the kids made when they were little....each little ornament or decoration had such meaning. How could I not display them?

Since I started putting up what I call my "big girl tree" a couple of years ago, most of the old ornaments don't really work. What I decided to do this year is to put them in a big basket and display the basket. That way when the kids come....the memories will still be there...they just won't be hanging on the tree.

A lot of my blog friends have been sharing pictures and stories of some of their favorite ornaments and decorations and I've enjoyed them so much....I thought I would share too.

Here are some of them:

This beaded ornament was made by my mother-in-law. She's been gone for many, many years, but I remember watching her sit and make these ornaments. She would buy the plain ornaments, ribbon, beads and straight pins and create some of the prettiest little ornaments. I have two of them left. One is on the tree and this one is in the basket.

Oh my! Mr. Cookie Monster....someone gave this ornament to us and I remember wondering if I really had to put it on our tree. It was so big and so BLUE...but as you can tell by looking at the condition of Cookie Monster....he was well loved.

This little bear and the clown that follows were two of the ornaments I made for my very first craft show back when the kids were little. I thought they were so cute....at that time. :)

Boy, did I love the little sequined ornaments! I use to buy kits and make these little guys all by hand. No glue guns either. Just sewing on beads and sequins and stuffing the little guys . It took forever, but the kids really enjoyed them. If you look at Mrs. Santa's hand...you can see that she actually got burned by one of the lights on the tree!

This little clay Christmas tree was made at school by Tresa in 1979. She would have been five years old. I pack it very carefully in a baggie every year.

Here is a wooden stocking that Michael made at school in 1987. He would have been seven at the time. I'm not sure what the teacher sprayed them with, but it's very shiny and has held up pretty well.

Matt the angel. We always got a good laugh out of this one. Probably the only time you will ever see a halo over his head! The ornament was darling though and I'm sure he had lots of help at preschool on this one, because in 1986, he was only three!

Ah, the styrofoam boot. This funny little ornament has made me cry more times than I care to remember. Tresa made this boot in 1981 in her religious ed class. She was seven. The kids were allowed to pick an ornament from a box to decorate. The ornaments were all different shapes and had written on them, "I pray for......" Well, Tresa picked a boot. She says she doesn't know why, but that was what she chose. Then she decorated it with hearts and glitter and wrote Michael's name on it.

Michael was born in 1980 with Hirschsprungs Disease. We almost lost him when he was four days old. He had a couple of surgeries, but we worried about him a lot. Tresa loved her little brother so much. She was an awesome big sister and grew up very fast during Michael's early years. He was always on our minds....including the mind of a little seven year old girl.

One day I will tell you all about Michael's early years and what it's like when you have a baby with Hirschsprungs Disease. It will take more than one post, so we will save it for after the holidays.

Anyway, every year as we unpacked ornaments, the kids would keep an eye out for "the boot". They knew that when "the boot" came out that mom would start crying. That little styrofoam boot brought back so many memories every year that I could never hold back the tears.....just as I can't now. It was a difficult and stress filled time, but thanks to some awesome doctors and a wonderful nurse clinician....we made it through it all. Michael is 29 years old now.


Do you have ornaments or decorations that touch your heart? We would love to see them and hear your stories.