Christmas Memories

Today, while my parents were grocery shopping, I sat and stared at the Christmas tree. It wasn't anywhere near completion. No garland, not enough ornaments, and nothing under the tree yet. It wasn't that my parents were lazy while I was at college, but they were so busy they had little time to completely decorate the tree. Although in the past, most families probably did not decorate their trees till a few days before Christmas. I quickly got to work while listening to one of my favorite Christmas albums, "In The Christmas Mood," by the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

As I decorated the tree with ornaments I was reminded of many Christmas pasts. You can learn the history of a whole family just from the ornaments on the tree. If you look at anyone's tree you can find out their hobbies, heritage, beliefs, milestones and much more. Each one of the ornaments on the tree has its own story. I quickly unwrapped the ornaments from the tissue paper and dispersed them across the tree. One ornament was a teddy bear that had been mine from my childhood. Also, I stumbled across an old Santa Claus that was who knows how old. Obviously it came before my lifetime. Then there was a metallic drumset that represents my brother. One thing I noticed was the number of angels on our tree. We must have at least 15 angels among the branches. Two ornaments I found read, "Grandson's First Christmas." You can guess those were for my brother and I. My family has also grown fond of the Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments. They represent everything from a church, to the Miami Dolphins, to the Boy Scouts. There is also a few nativity scenes here and there.

As I placed each ornament on the tree I was reminded of many Christmas' from my childhood and even milestones preceding my life. Now that's better.

Merry Christmas!