A Tour of the Christmas Tree

 

Didn't we get a gorgeous tree this year? It's a 6 foot Douglas Fir--the biggest one we've ever had, I think. Rudy picked it out. Rudy is also the Head Christmas Tree Decorator in the family. He takes this job very seriously, and Josephine's attraction to All The Shiny makes him more than a little protective of our festive baubles. He knows that we hang the lightest, paper ornaments on the bottom branches, because those are the ones the cats (and the sister) bat at. He knows that we hang the oldest ornaments--the ones from my childhood--very near the top. He knows that the angel goes on last, and that Papa is the only one allowed to place her. We tell him that it's because Papa is the tallest,  but really it's because we don't want them to fight over the privilege every year. 

Those are the things he knows. What he doesn't know--or, what he is only beginning to know--is the history behind the various ornaments we unwrap every year. Honestly, this is one of my favorite things to do at Christmas (or any time, really). I love the mystery of it: feeling the contours and weight of the thing through the newsprint or tissue paper wrapping, trying to guess, "Is this the rocking horse or the straw sleigh?" And I love the rush of recognition and recollection that comes over me when it is revealed. The kids are destined to a life of goopy nostalgic reminiscing at the holidays, but I'm not sorry. Why else do we keep the ornaments we made in our third grade classrooms out of craft yarn and Popsicle sticks?

This year, Rudy seemed especially interested in the story behind each one. So I took him on a tour of the Christmas tree. Here are the most important ones for me, as of this Christmas, 2010.

From my childhood. I feel like one of my mother's friends made this....

This is from the same era. The sparkly crystals come away from the Styrofoam every time I touch it.

This is one of several glass ornaments that my uncle Ned gave me when I was maybe 12 years old. I remember feeling so totally grown up, then, and I've always been grateful to him for believing I was old enough to have beautiful, delicate things.

This happy guy came straight from Santa in one of the kids' stockings last year.

One of the first students I ever taught gave me this. She was a freshman in when she aced my class. Now she is preparing to defend her PhD. Wow.

Hmm. I took this shot to show that we strung popcorn for the tree (tedious!), but I think this lovely bisque figure in the foreground came from Oma & Opa?

Also from Uncle Ned. This one scares me a little.

One of my absolute favorites. This is my niece...who turns 17 next week!

Rudolph for Rudolf. We bought this for Rudy's first Christmas.

Purchased at the Scripps Aquarium in San Diego when I was pregnant with Rudy.

Another oldie. See my initials embroidered up there? I don't know who made this for me, but I cherish it.

Josephine made this last year. (with a little help.) I love the swirling colors in her heart.

My dear friend Donna made this for me, back when we were crafting fools together. I love this especially because it's a cardinal...what we now call a "Rudy Bird." But this was years and years before Rudy was born. A glimpse into  future?

Rudy and his first babysitter, Megan, made this when he was 2. Pretty pine cone.

My lovely sister made this angel for me. She is a little terrifying with her Tammy Faye Baker eyelashes.

Poor Hampelmann. He has lost both feet and his right arm. Left arm hangs, dislocated. Pull string gone entirely. The children loved him too well. (courtesy of Oma and Opa)

This is one of my favorites from my childhood. My dad traveled to China for business and brought back all these gorgeous, vibrantly colored straw ornaments. The balloon is a little faded now, but I still love it.

Also from China. Catherine and I each have a bunch of these. I like them because they are not typically "Christmas." They're different and beautifully so.

I had thought that we'd try our hand at salt-dough ornaments this year, but I'm not sure we'll get to it. But I so look forward to a tree filled with handmade, kid-painted, crafty whimsy in the near future.

And I hope I can take care of these lovely things long enough for my kids to take them into their own lives, hang them on their own trees.