Monday, November 30, 2009

Made with Love

We were in Michigan for Thanksgiving – it’s only the second time we’ve been away from our extended family for a major holiday. It’s definitely different but it wasn’t different bad, just different. We had a couple from our church join us for the turkey dinner – they’re also expatriates up here. It was good to hear other Southern accents around our Thanksgiving table.

Since we weren’t on the road for 13 hours on Saturday we decided to get out the Christmas decorations. And thus began the annual fight between me and Sean over store-bought ornaments vs. home-made ornaments.

I grew up with an almost exclusive homemade ornament tree. Between my paternal grandmother and my mom we had hand-made ornaments coming out our ears. My grandmother made gobs of the felt and sequins ornaments and my mom hand-painted wood ones. I never understood why anyone would buy an ornament – didn’t everyone’s grandmother and mother make tree decorations crafted with love?

Sean, however, grew up with commercialized, mass produced ornaments. This was obviously not enough of a problem to keep us from marrying, mainly because I didn’t know about it until our first Christmas (difference #569, in case you’re counting).

We bought a huge tree and after we put on my made-with-love ornaments he wanted to put up some of his. No problem, I thought, until I saw he was opening boxes and hanging glass globes and stuff sold at Hallmark. Back that sleigh right up, mister. “Yeah, I don’t think so,” said I, because I assumed as the woman of the house I got to decide that kind of thing. He was not backing down, so we compromised: all his ornaments could go on the back of the tree.

So now, each Christmas we have the same debate. I want the homemade ornaments prominently displayed, and he wants to plug in his Star Trek one that tells us to live long and prosper. It’s gotten worse because my mother, crafter of homey ornaments, now send us store-bought ones (which she personalizes so there’s still a loving touch attached – that’s how I sell it to myself). And Sean’s mom has given us enough ornaments to outfit eight trees, and the kids love them all.

Why I didn't think of this before, I don't know, but this year I suggested we get a second tree dedicated to the store-bought ornaments, specifically the car ones. How could a whole tree be dedicated to car ornaments, you ask? Have you met my husband or my son? We must have 50 ornaments of all types of cars. When I mentioned that idea you’d have thought Sean and Michael won the lottery. “Yes! A tree just for cars!”

I may have lost the war but I have not surrendered, and this year I finally figured out how to have a tree full of love and sweet memories, and one for those other decorations. Which, truth be told, have some pretty special memories, too. Just don’t tell my grandmother I said that.


Rebecca made place cards for the Thanksgiving table, "Just like Grandma!"


Hand-made, just like I like it!



Standing in front of the tree of love - majority home-made ornaments, like...


this Santa Claus, and...


this Christmas wreath, and...


this creation by Rebecca, made from pipe cleaners.



My mom sent this Toy Story ornament to Michael this year - even though it's not homemade I must admit it's growing on me. That Rex is awfully cute.

10 comments:

  1. Amity8:16 AM

    So funny, I'm laughing so hard I'm coughing (gotta cold).
    This makes me want to get crafty and make some ornaments...felty ones...but I can't I'm too busy.

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  2. We've got a couple Star Trek ornaments! Though one year, instead of hanging them on the tree i put Jean-Luc Picard into the light-up village on the shelf, as though he'd just beamed down into it. And the Enterprise hovered over the buildings.

    I love mixing the ornaments but the 2 trees are a fabulous idea!

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  3. As the "Live Long and Prosper" ornament is neither homemade nor car themed, on which tree does it go?

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  4. Two trees -- great solution! I love the personal touch of your home-made ornaments.

    My husband and I also differ on the decoration of the tree. He seems to think that we should change color schemes and themes each year, while I believe in one-of-a-kind ornaments lovingly put on the tree year after year.

    I won.

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  5. Amity - we should get together and do something crafty! That would probably get us in trouble...

    NftP - don't tell me there are multiple Star Trek ornaments. Better yet, don't tell Sean.

    Dave - the "Live long and prosper" ornament is a ship, so Sean classifies it as transportation. It'll go on the car tree. (Did you really have to ask that?!)

    Catherine - glad you won!

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  6. Anonymous8:46 PM

    I have had two trees for several years now for this very reason. I like a picture perfect tree fit for Better Homes and Gardens...but I can't part with the handmade ornaments the kids have created over the years. I still have some from when I was a kid - each year my mom would get an 'ornament idea' and we would make them for all of the grandparents. Unfortunately, most of my grandparents have passed on I have many of my original creations back!
    Amy

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  7. Chef Cookaloni11:12 PM

    On which tree would you hang a homemade, 57 chevy ornament?

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  8. Amy - I can only imagine your Better Homes and Garden tree is beautiful! Of course, I've seen your house, so I bet the homemade ornament tree is gorgeous, too!

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  9. I don't have as many handmade ornaments as I used to (they tend to fall apart, fade, misshape into odd forms while stored...) but I do love the ones I have because of the memories attached. Our home church in Florida had a handmade ornament exchange every year. BUT I value the store bought ones too because we'd buy a new one each year. I always tried to get the kids ones that had some significance for that particular year (i.e., a patriotic Santa the first year Tina was able to vote). I would just mix 'em all up on the tree :-) I gave the kids their ornaments when we left but still brought plenty of both handmade and store bought to fill a tree.

    I do have dreams of one day having a pretty, coordinated all-of-one-color tree worthy of a magazine spread but family resistance has prevented me thus far. But one day :-)

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  10. So, I know that this post was over two years ago but Mrs. Duffy, you are soo beautiful!! :D

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