Skip to main content

When Your Tree Tells a Story {Christmas Home Tour}

Our red and gold family tree


My late Grandfather's ornament.  He loved birds and I think of him each time a cardinal pays me a visit.
Crystal cross from an ornament exchange trade with my Mom's group years ago.
For the coffee lover in the family ~me!
The peacock reminds me of my mother who always had one on her tree.  I loved to run my palm across the feather.
My boys at ages three and four.  Were they ever that small?  
The house to symbolize the first home we bought.  My best friend gave me a new ornament every year from the Bride's Tree set similar to this one.  It was a lovely tradition  and each ornament is full of sentiment.
Do you know the pickle ornament tradition?  You should!

A hand-painted Santa made for me by my babysitter in 1979.   

Our wedding ball ornament.  A gift from my mother that recalls my wedding gown perfectly.

A wooden carved reindeer found in a quaint village shop near Chicago.


Santa's gift to my eldest son last year.  He still does.


See our kids' tree tradition here.


Stop by the Nesting Place to see the 2011 Christmas Tour of Homes

Labels:

Comments

  1. The Happy MotherDecember 16, 2011 at 12:38 PM

    Beautiful tree! I love that you do the pickle. In college, when I worked at Crate&Barrel, they sold pickles with the other ornaments. I was unfamiliar with the tradition, but the other employees explained it to me. I loved telling customers about it. I should find one for our tree!

    ReplyDelete
  2. bobbiDecember 16, 2011 at 2:40 PM

    Wow, are you sure you have kids?? Your tree is gorgeous. It looks like it belongs in a child-free model home. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jennifer {Studio JRU}December 16, 2011 at 10:21 PM

    Sigh. A Christmas tree with a story is the best. Full of memories. Your tree is beautiful! We also do the pickle ornament! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sarah ReinhardDecember 17, 2011 at 9:35 PM

    Your photos are so inspiring! (And I am having a very bah humbuggy sort of season, so I appreciate it double much.) :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. ktDecember 18, 2011 at 2:55 AM

    Great idea for a post...you've inspired me to blog about some of my favorite ornaments too. Lovely tree.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Miss CharmingDecember 22, 2011 at 9:00 PM

    Such a big beautiful tree. I like how you showcased some of your favorite ornaments. (Gorgeous peacock.)

    Your wedding ornament is a great idea. Last week my mom sent me a clear ornament filled with fabric strips from my wedding reception. She had forgotten that she had it and just mailed it to me. (The funny thing is that I have been married for 18 years.) I think I appreciate it more now than if she had given it to me right after the wedding.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

~Grace and peace to you~

Popular posts from this blog

Saturday Surfing {favorite spots from around the web}

Saturdays are the perfect time for a little aimless web-wandering and here are few of my recent reads I'd like to recommend to you. The Wild Surrender of Motherhood by Carrie Ann Moss @Annapurna Living This new website launched this week and is absolutely lovely. Remember Carrie Ann Moss from the Matrix movies? Well she is now the founder and inspiration behind this blog.  Here is an excerpt of her vision for annapurnaliving.com : FROM CARRIE-ANNE ... “To see womanhood through eyes of grace.”  My desire is to live in a world where nourishment is valued. I believe a nourished family will lead to a nourished world. I believe life is beautiful and that our divine purpose in this world is to nurture the earth by respecting it and being grateful for what it provides us. My wish is to inspire others to create beautiful, honest and satisfying lives. My Other Ex: Women's True Stories of Leaving and Losing Friends   @A Design So Vast Unfortunately, over the pa...
7 comments
Read more

At the Water's Edge {52 Photos Project}

Sometimes I have to pinch myself that where we live, day after day, is actually a vacation destination for many people who come from far away to spend a weekend on the beach. They may have saved money for months to afford a few days splashing around in the waves and relaxing on the san that makes up our neighborhood. I feel such gratitude that I can zip down the beach road on a whim, as we did yesterday, with less than two hours to spare; we simply needed to swim in the sea. It was almost 100 degrees outside and the sun gleamed in a brilliant blue sky. So off we went, while Kai was at camp, to the beach.  The older two boys swam gleefully as I read Bread and Wine and dreamed of delicious meals to make my sun-kissed family for dinner. At one point I looked up and snapped this photo of my view. Then I pinched myself. This really is our home , our daily vacation spot, the place my boys have now lived for longer than anywhere else in their lives. We are living this beachy ...
6 comments
Read more

Locally Grown {stuffed green peppers recipe}

  Last weekend we took the whole family to a nearby produce stand.  We were craving something that tasted fresh from the garden and since I don't have my own garden, we found this place.     The fields were full of fall-colored flowered.  Can't wait for those cooler days to come.         But for now, we are reveling in the height of summer sunshine and produce.       It's easy to go overboard here and buy much more than you can use in the next few days.  I don't even like okra but they look so inviting in those cute blue crates.     These tomatoes inspired a caprese salad for lunch: tomato slices cut into quarters, hunks of fresh mozzarella, snipped basil leaves, salt, pepper and drizzles of olive oil and red wine vinegar.       These strawberries wound up being dunked in Silky Chocolate Fondue .       Every girl dreams of doing her shopping with one of these adorable woven b...
6 comments
Read more