Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Tree of Memories

For a number of years we had two different trees each year--one reserved for fox ornaments with white lights and another more colorful tree decorated with collected memories from our travels through life.  Recently I've been alternating years with just one tree and, since last year was for foxes, this has been the year for memories.

Before packing it all away I'll share a few of my favorites.

We add more ornaments each year.  At the beginning of December I posted about lighting this year's tree in the colors of the French flag and realized we needed an Eiffel Tower ornament.  I ordered one from eBay--my favorite source for almost everything.



Just because this isn't the year for foxes doesn't mean I can't acquire a few.  In fact I add at least one every year.

A sparkly fox gift from Linda Peterson whose beautiful garden I posted earlier in the year.


Another new fox is a gift from my sister-in-law in Dallas.


I found this fox while out shopping back in mid-November.


Two years ago when we visited Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving I picked up some pewter ornaments from the Wendell August Forge gift shop.  Everything is handmade at America's longest operating forge so it was hard to stop at just five.







And the back features a mark.


Can't forget our 27 years of Air Force life.


Imagine my surprise when I spotted a tree full of these very same eagle ornaments at the White House during a tour.


A souvenir from a long ago Christmas visit to Macy's Herald Square flagship store.


Yosemite National Park back in the 1990s.


Stars for Texas


A few ornaments from my childhood


Santa belonged to my grandparents


My grandparents traveled to Disneyland in California soon after it opened and brought back a set of Disney character ornaments.  Only Mickey is left.  Circa mid-1950s.


Just a few of my holiday memories.  Hope you all made many new memories!

7 comments:

  1. We have a tree full of memories, too. Always fun to see them every year.
    Happy New Year. It's going to be a good one!

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  2. Beautiful ornaments, Shirley. Years ago, I started collecting the Central European style glass ornaments. Now I decorate the tree almost exclusively with those. I like your Eiffel Tower. The foxes are great, too!

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  3. Thanks for taking us down "memory lane" with you Shirley! Your tree is like your garden, full of memories of travels to nurseries or pass-alongs from friends. May 2016 bring you much more of both!

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  4. I think that is the beauty of the Christmas tree...all the memories it evokes. I love these ornaments especially the fox ornaments...we have some foxes we share the land with...and we adore them! Happy New Year Shirley!

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  5. What a treat to have you share some of your memory keeper ornaments with us. I'm especially smitten with the glittered red ball from your childhood, and along those same lines, Santa/sleigh and the original Mickey ornaments. Such treasures.

    Though we have not traveled so widely or often as you, we also have special ornaments purchased to remind us of places and people we visited throughout the years. Getting those out to put on the tree takes us on another trip - a memory visit - every year. Perhaps my favorite part of the holidays.

    Happiest 2016 to all the Fox family (and to all the little foxes!).

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  6. A beautiful post about the memories on your tree. There's something special about remembering past holidays spent with loved ones and your ornaments are lovely reminders.

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  7. those pewter ornaments are a new idea to me, and rather lovely!

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