Decorating For Christmas

The first year that Eric and I were married we were living in Montana. Our families were, at the time, living in New Mexico. We tried to decorate for Christmas, but we were poor and young. The effort was pretty sad. I remember feeling so lonely for my family tradition on that day. There was no John Denver and the Muppets record playing (something that I'd had since childhood), no familiar decorations, no family members. Our tree was small and sad, I think it cost $6 at Big Lots.

Over the years we got a little bit better, but not much. We held onto that little tree because renters have no place to store a fake tree and people who own compact cars have no business strapping trees to their roof. So, we moved forward with our own strange tradition, but it never really felt right. Last year I dreamed that by the next Christmas we would have a home of our own and we could do it up right, making a family tradition of our very own and a magical Christmas for our little girl.

So, now that we do own a home we finally did it right! We blasted John Denver and the Muppets and set up Christmas and started a new family tradition of our own.


Eric set up the tree and strung the lights.


Cordelia got to hang the less fragile ornaments.










Our tree was completed.

We turned down the lights and sat on the couch (tradition taken from my family) and admired our work.


Team W


Eric helped Cordelia decorate her own little Christmas tree, the one that once seem so sad got to shine as a toddler tree.


Cordelia had an interesting method for hanging her ornaments



Do you have a Christmas decorating tradition?