New Traditions

A friend sent me an email the other day talking about how Christmas had changed. How in past years it had been about the kids... how the Christmas village was always put up.. the cardboard handmade decorations scattered around the house.. even the ornaments in the tree. But that this year - with no kids at home - Christmas had become an adult affair... and I think he was mourning the loss of magic that comes with a children's Christmas.

For years now I have kept the childish aspect to Christmas by having my grandbabies come to the house and help "granny" decorate. Everything got dragged out and a place was found for every little thing that I had collected over the years. (except the garish white branches set in cement that I used the Christmas I moved into here. That tree has been well hidden away. I can't part with it because it is "history" but I can't put it up because it is just plain garish and not at all ME)

This year between one thing and another we weren't at all sure the grandboys would be coming to granny's house to help decorate.. or visit .. or anything. When I got the all clear on the surgery I made a quick phone call to youngest daughter and asked when I could have the boys. It was decided they would come for a few hours this Saturday coming. I couldn't wait... didn't want to wait ... for this weekend to decorate .. so I dragged all the decorations out myself and put them up. (What we will do with the grandboys is still a bit up in the air.. but that is for another blog entry)

Last evening I was thinking about that email I received..... and how my house too has lost some of the cluttered childish appeal. There aren't decorations in every single nook and cranny of the house. It is much more organised and tidy and ... and.. grown up. In fact I didn't even put up the Christmas village I made some 20 years ago. (the one the cats love to climb up into and rearrange !!!)

Funny enough I have no tugs at my heart strings. My house is growing up.. just like me I guess. I was wrapping presents and sat back and glanced at the tree. It isn't laden down with all sorts of ornaments this year....... This year it has all the ornaments that I love... precious bits of beauty and memories....... and I decided I much preferred my tree scantily decorated........ in my mind .. each ornament is a centerpiece of its own. Can be seen and admired. Nothing is hidden back deep in the branches ..... just to make room for all the "crap" that normally goes up. And I felt a calmness.. a peacefulness..... the tree is a show place - not a kinetic mess of energy that spills into the room.

And so I thought I would take some pictures and show you all some of my most beloved decorations............


There are numerous birds - of all sorts - adorning the tree...............they remind me of my dad who loved to watch the birds.. he had bird feeders galore dotting his back yard - no matter where he lived.






There are my precious carousel horses in glass bells................that remind me of the numerous times my parents took me to amusement parks and how I loved to ride the merry-go-round - always on a beautifully decorated ornate horse.... and how my imagination would fly to adventures on stunning steads with flowing manes.....




There are numerous Christmas fairies hidden in the branches.......... this being just one of many....... because no matter how many Christmases have come and gone .. I still remember the year I found my dad and my eldest lying directly under the Christmas tree .. and my dad spinning a tale of Christmas fairies and how they danced invisible in the branches..........




There is my new little girl dressed for playing in the snow...........because I loved playing in the snow as a child...... building forts with my dad... igloos by myself... spending hours and hours of joy playing imaginary games in the winter wonderland.



There is the china tea cup that reminds me of my grandmother and her tea parties...



And the whole thing is lit by candlelight......... to add just the right touch of twinkling magic...........because no matter how 'grown up' I become.. Christmas will ALWAYS touch the child's heart within me.