Trees all decorated for Christmas are very special expressions of your Family and the way you celebrate the holiday. Welcome to the Blog today, Friends as I share with you how we decorate our Family tree. It’s a pretty big tree and sits in our Great Room next to the bookshelf and fireplace. We found this tree in time for the holidays last year. Honestly, my budget doesn’t include $700 Christmas trees but this one, found at my local Goodwill, was just 10% of that original price. We needed a new tree and so it came home with us that day.
Like most families, we have been adding ornaments to our collection for many years. I’ll be sharing some of these special ornaments with you today.
The first step is always setting up the tree and making sure the lights work. This tree doesn’t really require any fluffing which saves some time and energy. You can see we have a couple of step ladders out as the tree is so tall.
The next step is putting the topper on the tree. I found this really pretty star last year and it now lights the way at the top of our tree. If you look closely at the picture above, you can see that we have the star actually attached to the ceiling to help keep it in place.
Next, I start to pull out the ornaments beginning with these wonderful old mercury balls. Many of them are vintage and quite beautiful. They range in size from small to large and the large ones go on first. I set them back in the tree so that when you look into the tree you always see something glittering and shiny.
Someone clomps up the step stool or ladder and starts from the top, anchoring the balls in the tree.
The next set of ornaments tells the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge and the transformation of his character in one magic Christmas night. The ornaments are made by Kurt Adler. I have been collecting these since my children were babies and now each Christmas the story spirals up the Christmas tree reminding us to …..keep Christmas in our hearts throughout the year. The first character is Scrooge on Christmas Eve day as he goes to his place of business. The next is Marley’s Ghost warning Scrooge to change his ways. We see Scrooge cowering in his nightgown as he meets the first ghost represented by a young sprite who reminds Scrooge of Christmas past. The next ghost is Christmas present, a jolly elf, who shows Scrooge Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim as they come home for Christmas Eve. Mrs. Cratchit is making the Christmas pudding for the family to enjoy. Scrooge sees the happiness of the Cratchits even though their circumstances are dire and Tiny Tim may not survive the year. Next we see the most feared ghost….. that of Christmas Yet to Come. Scrooge professes that the spirits have changed him and he will be a better person from now on. The next ornament is Scrooge throwing his window open on Christmas morning realizing all the spirits accomplished in one night. He calls down to a lad in the street instructing him to buy a goose for the Cratchit family. The final ornament in the series is a healthy Tiny Tim carrying a Christmas tree with Christmas blessings for everyone.
Here are some of them on the tree.
Once the larger ornaments have been added to the tree we move to the smaller ones. Waterford and Lenox ornaments depict, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. I’m still looking for a couple of the Lenox ornaments to complete the set. I’ve been fortunate to be able to find a number of the Waterford ornaments. They look wonderful reflecting the lights on the tree. Another set of ornaments give us the poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas”. Other favorite ornaments are added to the tree until all the branches are filled with memories of Christmas spent together.
This “story” tree is reflected in the “story” bookcase that is next to the tree. You can see that here:
https://www.thriftingwonderland.com/post/bookshelves-by-the-fireplace-ready-for-christmas
It takes us most of the day to put up and decorate the tree. In the background we’ll be watching a Christmas movie or listening to Christmas music while sipping an appropriate beverage……a special Family time that we cherish.
May you have a wonderful holiday season as you celebrate family traditions and spend time with loved ones.