Decorating the Christmas Tree in Tradition

My boys have been begging for days to decorate the Christmas tree. I put it up all by myself one quiet day and it's been bare until tonight. It was so fun! I can already see how the Spirit of Christmas is embedding in their tender hearts. They love to decorate and they love to sit and look at the tree.

We started off with Christmas music as Caleb, Davis, and I danced all over the floor to Christmas songs. Daddy brought in the ornaments and they couldn't wait to get theirs out and put them on the tree. What a gift all of the ornaments are we have collected over the years. We do a traditional tree rather than a fancy tree. Its full of ornaments from all different years and all different places.

Isn't our tree so pretty! I love it!

Everyone keeps asking me if I am okay and how I am handling this year and the truth is, I haven't been this happy since my Mom passed away. I expected to be sad but it is NOT possible for me to be sad with Christmas around! There are simply too many happy feelings that are ingrained inside of me.

At the ALS walk I had such a fun time talking to my Moms best friend when they were about my age. Its strange to talk with her woman to woman now when I use to know her as a child. I love her! She reminds me of my Mom and I can see why they were such great friends! She told me whenever she feels depressed she plays Christmas music and she can't stay depressed for long. It's so true!

The only tinge of sadness I had tonight was as I pulled out ornament after ornament from my Grandma Irene. She gave me an ornament in my stocking every year of my life until she died. My boys have ornaments from my Mom from these first few years but it hit me the tradition might die out now. I'm hoping my Dad will pick up his Moms tradition and give my boys an ornament in their stockings each year too. Please Daddy!

I'm going to take pictures later of some of the special ornaments on our tree but tonight I just wanted to say how magical it was to sing carols and decorate with my boys. There is nothing in this world that compares to the beauty of a child's face lit by a Christmas tree!

Thank you boys for a memorable night and for being just as excited as Mommy is to pull the ornaments out! I love you guys so much!