Remember these?

When I saw this box, a flood of memories came rushing back to me. Were they my Mother's? They looked just like some of her old ornaments. They also looked like some of the ornaments on my Grandmothers' Christmas trees when I was a kid.

Every year, with wild excitement we would bring the ornaments down from the attic. We waited in longing anticipation for the boxes to descend to the living room rug. The ornaments themselves, were securely wrapped and stored well. However, when it came time to take the boxed ornaments out, the actual boxes seemed old, almost broken down, with the cellophane wrap on top half torn. Looking back now, I think it was the hands of time, as well as hand me downs. However, that didn't stop us. We decorated, practically dancing around the tree, trying to find just the right branch for each ornament. If I had it my way, I would have decorated the tree by myself, because I wanted to put on as many ornaments as I possibly could.

Another big thrill was that my Father and I had a tradition of going out to find our Christmas tree. I use to wait anxiously for him to have his morning coffee, and then off we would go, usually to the same garden center as the year before. He liked the owners and the trees they sold. When the tree was decorated and relatives were complimenting how pretty it looked, in part it was because my Father and I started by selecting the tree first; the rest came later.

Even though I am uncertain as to where those ornaments are today, I still love what they mean to me. They were shiny and unique in shapes and sizes. They instantly remind me of my childhood Christmas trees of years gone by. Add those ornaments to a tree with big bulb multi-color lights and tinsel, and well, you get the idea. Merry Christmas to my childhood Christmas trees, and yours too!