Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Putting Up the Christmas Tree - 2015

Usually with a title like that, it would be accompanied with many photos of kids putting ornaments on the tree along with lights and the ultimate - the star.

Not this year.  All those things were done, not lights, but, my camera died just as all the hoopla was starting.
To say I was exasperated would be an understatement.

My son John took some photos with his phone and his digital camera, but I don't have any to share with you.
That darn camera is like a third eye for me.  I'm lost without it.   Well, actually, since I'm blind in one eye, it is my second eye - ha.

I digress.  Decorating the tree was a hoot.  The three tubs of decorations were picked up by John yesterday from my house and were open and ready to give to the kids to put on the tree.  No lights as I mentioned, thankfully, but a big tree.  Matilda and Sebastian put everything on the tree, in their own "style", and it is hilarious.

Picture this.  Streamers thrown at the tree.  Non breakable ornaments tucked on the branches.  Then Sebastian took a painted plywood Christmas stocking and tucked it between two branches.  Same thing with a felt covered deer and on and on.  It certainly does not look like the perfect tree we did when I was a child where all the tinsel even had to be hung, one piece at a time along with us spending hours stringing pop corn and hanging that, just so.

It truly looks like a Charlie Brown tree.  Precious.  I hope, somehow, I get a photo of this tree for posterity.
As we came to ornaments, again, all non-breakable, that the kids, their father and aunts had made in kindergarten or later, we would talk about who had made them and how old they were etc.  I think the stories and the history is what makes it all so special.

Weird feelings filled me as I handed over these things.  They truly are the "treasures" of my past.  Many ornaments are at least seventy years old, German glass ornaments that were not put on the tree this year.
I know that every year that I would open these treasure boxes, memories would flood me.  Things like the first decorations that my husband and I bought in 1961.  Or the glass ornaments decorated with glitter with the names of my brothers and sister made by me in kindergarten.  Stuff like that.  I want to share those stories with the grand kids, which I do, in hopes that they will some day carry on the traditions and later with their own children.

Those Christmas ornament boxes and photo albums are the legacy that I have to pass on to my grown children and grandchildren.  Back in the days when we lived in the path of hurricanes, the photo albums were the first thing in the car when we evacuated.  They are that special to me and my family. I'm sure many of you have the same feelings and traditions.

So, the torch has passed.  Well sort of.  With a little common sense and the urging of my son, I brought all the breakable Nativity sets back to where I'm staying to display for a few more years until little hands are more steady and breakable things are more secure.

Even so, I can't share photographs with you.  Rest assured, I'll be out on the hunt for some kind of digital camera before Friday.  Too many things happening this weekend to not be able to save and share.

And, as they say, "It's always something"..........



7 comments:

Retired Teacher said...

Sorry to hear about your camera. I know how devastated I would be if my camera died in the middle of a trip!
It's been years since I have put up a tree, but I still have boxes and boxes of ornaments. Some are hand made, some were bought on my travels, a few even date back to my grandparents.
Maybe someday, when I'm not so busy traveling, I'll put up a tree again.
¡Feliz Navidad!

jennifer rose said...

I've heard about those people who grab the photo albums first thing when they're being evacuated. When we were evacuated for the annual forest fires, the first things my mother would grab were the dog and the silverware.

crynoutloud said...

Love the Carlie Brown tree. My favorite Charlie Brown is when he gets the Thanksgiving dinner invitation and Lucy tells him he got the wrong invitation. There were two lists. The invite list and the uninvited list and he was supposed to be on the uninvited list. They made a mistake!.

Babs said...

Bill, all those years of putting up a tree, which was never my thing, are behind me.
In the last few years, I had a tiny table top tree that I could just plop on a table and let the kids put unbreakable stuff on. I like decorating the house, but there have been years I did not do that even, when I've been traveling. I don't think though, I could just get rid of any of the ornaments and things. They must be passed on down and stay in the family.

The camera worked later today, for a while. I managed to take on photo of the beautiful sky at sunset and then it stopped working again. I found the instruction manual on the internet and on Page 92!, I found my answer, I think, I need a new battery. I have a backup one in my house and so, if possible I'll get it, charge it
and see if that works. Keep your fingers crossed.

Feliz Navidad to you as well.

Babs said...

Jennifer, your mother and I thought alike. Not only did I take the photo albums, but all the kids (3), all the animals, a cat, dog, hamster and bird on one evacuation, but never thought about the silverware, which I still have..........

Babs said...

Hi Crynoutloud! I have always loved everything about Charlie Brown and the gang.
However, I don't remember the Thanksgiving story.......poor Charlie. Thanks for telling it to me.

I'm hoping to get photos of the tree and share with all. You'll see what I mean....ha.

Peter Kouwenhoven said...

Many poeple I know are now digitizing their old photo albums. Something I should consider doing too. I hope your back up battery will do the trick!