November 30, 2014 ~ Today I am thankful for nostalgic Christmas memories. Our family starts decorating for Christmas on the day after Thanksgiving. Thankfully, I’ve never really gotten into the Black Friday shopping thing, so my choice is easy. Over the weekend, we set up our Nativity and the village; we hang stockings and lots of garland. We decorate our entryway on the inside and outside. We finish with decorating the tree on Sunday.
I’ve always loved Christmas decorations. My decorating style leans toward nostalgic / vintage as opposed to trying to re-create a magazine photo shoot. I own lots of decorations that I’ve had since my childhood. Many of my ornaments and other pieces have great memories attached to them.
Each year, we hang the lights and ornaments while Bing Crosby sings White Christmas to us. We drink egg nog and eat chocolate chip cookies, warm from the oven. I have lots of ornaments … as I unwrap each one, I share the memories they bring to mind. I share stories of Christmas’s from when I was growing up. We reminisce our family’s memories. Some of my ornaments are from my great grandmother – some from friends – some I made myself. Many times the ornament represents something significant that happened that year. Sharing memories this way is one of my favorite family traditions.
