Well, so the tree didn't end up being smaller after all

This year when picking our Christmas tree we were thinking of downsizing the tree so we wouldn't have to live with an unwieldy giant bush in our tiny house for two weeks.  Last year's tree was huge!  And it seemed to get bigger everyday.  This year we stopped at a little stand whose proceeds go to support a wonderful home for atypical children in our area, The Russell Home.  All the trees I saw on display seemed reasonably sized so it seemed like this year we would have that smaller tree.  The gentleman selling the trees kindly tied ours to the roof of the car and home we went.

We untied the bindings, set our lovely friend in it's stand and brought it into our diminuitive home.  It was too tall. Off with it's head!!  Again, we have chosen a huge tree.  There must be something about our perception of size when we are in the open air of the tree lots that makes us think these trees are smaller.  So, once again, we have a giant living in the house with us.  But a beautiful giant at that.

Everyone has their favorite ornaments on their trees.  We don't have many fancy ones, mainly ones The Maven and The Writer made when they were schoolchildren.  Those tend to be my favorites along with a couple of others that are attached to nice memories.

Like my snoopy on paper clip ice skates.  He was attached to a present many years ago when I lived in Toronto and he's spent every Christmas on whatever tree we have.  He reminds me of Christmases with my parents.

This clothespin Rudolph was given to me by my bosses at my first job out of college.  I worked in the classified advertising department of The Orlando Sentinel and my bosses were two very strong, independent women.  They made these ornaments for all 50 of their employees and I always smile when I see it because I think of these two high-powered women hunched over a pile of clothes pins, armed with glue guns to give their workers a sweet little gift.  It hung on the first Christmas tree that Mr. Tennis and I shared in our first year of marriage.

This shiny bell was made by The Maven in third grade.  I was room mother and had to come up with a craft that the kids could do at their holiday party.  It is made from a small terra cota pot, coated in glitter with a small bell hanging in the middle.  This ornament reminds me of The Maven's younger years and how much I miss being a room mom.  While I was in the middle of the room mom madness I didn't always appreciate how special it was to be able to  spend time in my daughter's classroom and share a little bit of her school-life.  When we hang this bell on the tree, The Maven can usually be counted on to quote from my favorite Christmas movie, It's a Wonderful Life:  Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.

When The Writer was in sixth grade he had a very good Math teacher.  She had many creative ways to bring math to life and help them remember the rules of numbers.  At Christmas time she had each child work on a cross stitch project which they would tackle every day for a certain amount of time.  Imagine my surprise when my "I don't like crafts" son arrived home with this pretty little cross stitched holly sprig.  It brings a smile to my face every year as I picture my tall son hunched over this project, carefully counting stitches and creating a wonderful ornament for our tree.

Of course the decorations that mean the most to me are the faces of our family members as we get together during this special time of year.