Tree of Memories

Dear Liza,

Well, our new Christmas tree is up and decorated. It looks so pretty, sitting by the window of our new home. But I love it mostly for the memories it is decorated with.

Auntie Bridgett has ornaments from her childhood in Eureka, California. Her first Snoopy ornament, along with two ceramic angels she painted with her mom when she was seven, hold precious memories for her.

 

 

I have some ornaments that belonged to great-grandma Billie. The pine cone is so fragile, I am surprised it has lasted the sixty-or-so years it has, and her love of birds is shown in all the feathered friends now perched on my tree.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have bought ornaments on our travels, too. Admiral Nelson is from our trip to London. He is no relation to Grandpa Nelson.

Sometimes, the connection is harder to see. These tiny gnomes are from Cologne, Germany.

When we were there, we heard a tale that hundreds of years ago, a bunch of little men would come every night and do people’s chores….clean the house, milk the cows, stuff like that. The story continues that a young housewife became curious, and wanted to see the little men for herself.

 

 

When she surprised the gnomes at their work, they got mad and left, never to return. Needless to say, the town was very angry with her and even built a statue of her, to warn against investigating magical things too closely.

I love that so many stories play out in my head when I look at our tree. I love that we get tell the stories again, every year.

Love,

Grandma Judy