TREASURED TRIMMINGS ADORN OUR FAMILY TREE

 If you are thinking about putting up more than one tree in your home and wondering how to differentiate them, try giving them different themes. Out of all the Christmas trees I put up in our house, my personal favorite is our "Family Tree".  It is filled with colorful photo ornaments of our children, from birth through school days and now includes spouses. In addition, we hang Wallace Silver Ball's that are dated  commemorating each year my husband and I have been married.   The Silver Ball tradition was my mother-in-law's idea.  She started it when her daughter was married.  I thought it was a wonderful idea and was looking forward to becoming a proud recipient the next year when I married her son.  But, lo and behold, while there was a Silver Ball under the tree for my sister-in-law  to commemorate her 2nd year of wedded bliss, there was none for us to commemorate our 1st!  Upon questioning my mother-in-law as to why, she looked blankly at us and replied, "I'm waiting a year to make sure you all 'take' "!!!!!

Each Christmas ever since, upon receiving our Silver Ball, we tease her asking if she thinks we have 'taken' yet?   All joking aside, each Christmas while hanging our Silver Balls,  I regretted not having gone out myself that first Christmas and purchased the Silver Ball commemorating our first year of marriage.   A few years ago, my husband and I were blessed with a precious gift from our children of a 1973 Wallace Silver Ball they had searched for and found on Ebay to commemorate our 1st year of marriage.   I'm not sure I have ever received a gift under the tree that has tugged on my heartstrings the way that little Silver Ball did.  Our daughter and son-in-law were married on New Year's Eve 2008.  I did not wait for their marriage to 'take'.  Their 1st Silver Ball was sitting under the Christmas tree, days before they were married.  And our son and daughter-in-law received their 2012 Silver Ball as part of their wedding present when they married Fall 2012.

I purchase Wallace Silver Balls from Amazon because they are usually cheaper than local department stores.  If you would like to purchase or read more about the Wallace Silver Ball click on link below...

Wallace 2012 Silver Plated Sleigh Bell Ornament, 42nd Edition

One of my current favorite stores to buy photo ornaments is Michael's when they are on sale.

Want more ideas?  Please click below...
Pineapples & Palm Trees
                                               ~ Start a New Tradition ~
                                                         ~ Debbie ~