Oh Christmas Tree!

We decorating our Christmas tree on Monday night and I thought it deserved its very own post. Not because our tree is some decorating marvel or anything. Quite the opposite actually.

I love Christmas for the memories and the thankfulness and the sharing things with others. Everyone who knows me knows that I am not much for gifts. Thoughtfulness is much better. Sometimes thoughtfulness does come in the form of gifts, but I just like being mindful of others and their needs.

This is why I love our tree. People have gotten us ornaments for times in our life that we need to commemorate. And this turned into me wanting to mark each year with an ornament. So I buy Justin and Sam an ornament every year. And I put a lot of thought into it too. I want it to be somehow symbolic of the previous year.

So our tree is not color coordinated. We have no ribbons or tinsel. It is lights and meaningful ornaments. So... here is our lovely tree...

In this picture it looks crooked and oblong. I don't know why. 

So let's look at some of these ornaments...

I got this for Justin a few years ago. I think I was pregnant with Sam at the time. We both love Where the Wild Things are. I just thought this was the coolest ornament when I saw it. 

I bought this one for myself and Justin when I was studying abroad in Europe. These are from Amsterdam. I'm not sure I could express my love for the Netherlands in words. I really loved Maastricht the best, but they didn't have these wicked awesome shoes for an ornament so I just celebrated the country as a whole. I just love these. 

This ornament... I both love it and hate it. Mostly love it. It is as Elvis guitar. And it plays, "Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me". We got this because when I was pregnant with Sam, Justin kept calling him Elvis. It was this big joke (I keep telling myself it was a joke, but I'm pretty sure he would have named him Elvis had I let him... and no, Justin does not obsess about Elvis). Anyway, Sam now loves this ornament. Last year, he kept making it play. Several times a day. Over. And over. And over. This year? The same. Constantly. See video...

Listen really hard at first. We had some creepy Christmas music on. But you will hear Sam hit the button over and over and over. Then he dances to it. This is an every day occurrence. It is the first thing he does when he wakes up. And the first thing he does when he gets home. And he does it 50 more times before bed. Adorable and makes me want to punch a kangaroo at the same time. Wouldn't trade it for anything though. 

We have several other Elvis ornaments because people went a little cray-cray that year with the Elvis jokes. 

This is Sam's fat little hand print from his first Christmas. He was so chubby you can barely see the difference in his fingers. Good heavens I love that boy. 

Can I just say that this caught me by complete surprise. I got an ornament this year! Justin ordered me a Central Perk coffee cup ornament! I do love Friends and coffee... so it was fitting. I love it! 

Gena and I dressed all festive for the decorating and didn't even know it! Red and green pants, ya'll! And Sam really wanted in the picture. 

Speaking of Sam wanting to do things... He wanted to help hang the star. Apparently the star was Gena, lol.

I haven't bought Justin's and Sam's ornaments yet. I know I have to get Sam a police officer one because he has been OBSESSED all year. A few days ago he told me that the police officers got the bad guys and the bad guys gave Sam money and a high five. Uh oh. We went wrong somewhere. I know what I'm going to get Justin too but he reads this so it is still a surprise.