As I work to finish decorating my own Christmas tree this year I think of the many holiday trees in my life. I read on many blogs of people cutting natural trees.
(canned quilter and Christmas Tree ca. 50's)
It makes me remember the Christmas trees of my childhood. How wondrous they were to me. They were cut from the fields and woods behind our house. Humble cedar trees decorated with the old bubble lights. Handmade ornaments and candy canes. Tinsel shining. You could smell the cedar throughout the old wood farmhouse.
(My Mom and the silver Tree ca. 60's)
Then our family began to prosper more as most Americans in the late 50's and 60's. The old cedar tree was replaced by that wondrous silver tinsel tree. Complete with electric color wheel. Always decorated with turquoise and bubble gum pink glass globes. It went with our new brick ranch house on the farm which was complete with linoleum floors and a turquoise Frigidaire. And 4 bedrooms which came in handy for the 3 more boys which would come after the new house.
Daddy ( Oh I'm sorry, Santa) was skinny back then.
My trees now are scaled down. I gave the huge artificial tree to Fred for her growing family. Fred has terrible allergies so I haven't had a real tree in years. O Wise One and I now put up a smaller tree. My hair is now gray and O Wise One almost doesn't have any but our tree though smaller, seems no less wondrous. As we watch our grandchildren's eyes light up at the sight. We pretend we don't notice as the candy canes hanging from it's branches get fewer and fewer. There are no coordinated ornaments but rather bits and pieces of our children's past. Ornaments from friends and neighbors through the years. Most are from our children throughout their childhoods. Many held together with Popsicle sticks and glitter. Some are over 30 years old and every year or so I have to do some re gluing and repairing. We wouldn't trade those old ornaments for anything though. As the children start their own traditions I have started to return some of their ornaments to them for their own trees. Some of the children have turned them down. As my second son told me. "Mom they are where they belong, with Mama. " So I guess I will keep hanging them every year until I can no longer. Making memories after all are what Holidays are all about and we have managed to make a whole tree full!
Blessings from The Holler
The Canned Quilter
:)
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you all! ♥
Love the photo's of the past years, real tree's are beautiful and smell so wonderful. Seeing and hearing of your silver tree made me think of my Aunt's all white artificial tree. As a child, I never saw such a thing, until I saw her's. She had it all decorated beautifully, but for me, I guess; I'm partial to green.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing,
Mel
Love your tree and the pictures of the past. My Uncle had a silver tree, with color wheel, and all blue ornaments. Great memories, but I love my green tree. This year we went smaller and not all the handmade ornaments made it to the tree, but they are packed up and I will keep them and all the memories that goes with them. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
ReplyDeleteAhhh the memories you just brought back to me too!! I remember the color wheel tree too!! OMG!!
ReplyDeleteMy tree has many ornaments from my girls childhood too. I fight with them to keep them here until I no longer can use them!! At that time they can have them. They made them for me and my tree, right?? Only fair!!
That is the perfect tree...ornaments chocked full of memories.
ReplyDelete