The Christmas tree is up

It’s kind of an accomplishment. And not just because Bear tried to help. Then she lost interest until the shiny ornaments came out. (We’re kind of alike in that way.) I didn’t do the whole tree thing last year. It just seemed like a lot of work. But this year I was inspired by a Christmas movie trivia project for work (I watched “White Christmas” while decorating) and Gabe’s tree. (Tree envy.)

The tree to ornament ratio seems a bit off. If the tree was a bit bigger … I’ll be futzing with it for the next couple of weeks.

Anyway, every year since 2001, my first Christmas on my own, I have added one ornament that somehow signifies the year. The first was a bell — you know, that whole liberty, independence thing. Some have been more original than others. 2002 was a star for my first big design award. 2003 was an unimaginative brass pine tree; I’d moved to Washington that year. (It was an unoriginal year. I also got a very nice glass ornament as a gift that is probably a little more representative of that time.) In 2004, I bought a house and added a door knocker to the tree. In 2005 my mother and brother moved in with me; I added a “home for the holidays” ornament. In 2006, I moved to St. Louis and added a bird. In 2007, I spent quite a bit of time learning web programming stuff; I added an apple. In 2008, Paper Cuts was pretty big; I added a small pair of scissors.

This year’s ornament: an acorn.

The year has pretty much been dominated by family … stuff. Most of it has turned into an giant genealogy project — photos and letters from my grandmother’s house that have to be scanned and saved, plus my grandfather has sent me family tree information from his mother’s and father’s family. It’s something I was interested in before I carried in the 3,000th box of photos and had to start devoting days to sitting at a computer and scanner. (There’s a deadline, you see. All of the photos and letters have to go back to my grandmother’s house in six months where they will be handed over to my aunt in exchange for the images she has allegedly been saving and scanning. Yep, it’s at least a two year project. And that doesn’t include a lot of organization that needs to be done still.)

There’s a second reason why this ornament was perfect: My family is freaking nuts.

5 comments

  1. I’m kind of surprised and impressed that I haven’t broken any of the glass ornaments yet. And neither has Bear. That’s one reason why there are so many!

  2. I’m so behind on my blogs lately. Love your tree, love the sentimental ornaments and love that you posted my tree.

    Merry belated Christmas!

  3. Gabe: I didn’t add a tiara topper for the tree. I decided the tree shouldn’t have a fancier tiara than I do. But thanks to you, it did have a tiara!

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