TRIM THE TREE THURSDAY

It's Trim the Tree Thursday hosted by Brett at The Hostess with the Mostess. Check out her blog for a list of wonderful Christmas participants.

This week I want to share our Christmas tree that is set up in our living room. But, first, I want to show you our very first Christmas tree. The year was 1958, and we had been married for three months. We were college students living on nothing, but we bought this little real tree. To decorate it, I made some red things (?) out of some red net fabric I had and strung some popcorn and cranberries for garland. Then we bought ONE red ball, which we painted the year on it.

And, thus, began our very own traditions. Every year since, we have painted the year on a red ball to add to our tree. That makes 51 balls this year!! We have, also, had popcorn garlands on our tree every year. As a matter of fact, Bob and the grand kids finished stringing popcorn for this year's tree just last night.

Of course, in addition to the red balls, we have added lots of ornaments to this tree from our travels, kid's projects, and gifts from friends.

Here is that very first 1958 ball next to our 2008 ball.


About 30 years ago, I found these old-fashioned type of candle holders that clip on the tree. We have always been afraid to light the candles, however!!!



Twenty-five years ago, I started a Hallmark Christmas ornament series of houses and buildings. I never had any idea that the series would go on this long. I have all 25 in the series. We also are on the 13th in the series of the train ornaments, plus there is a completed Santa Claus series on the tree.


My parents brought this Holy Family made from corn husks back from Santa Fe, New Mexico to us one year.


A Teddy bear in a basket with his very own pieced quilt that I made.

There are four of these gingerbread men that Bob brought back from a business trip for our son's first Christmas 40 years ago.

I've only shown you a small portion of the hundreds of ornaments on this tree. It takes the two of us all day to hang all of the ornaments. If we have help from the grand kids, it takes even longer!! We always relive what was happening during a specific year when we hang the red balls. New baby years, new house years, no money years; they have all been joyful years!!!!

I love this tree probably even more than the tree I showed you last week with the blown-glass ornaments on it. I can't imagine a Christmas without it!!

I hope you enjoyed it, too.

Sally