December Daily - December 4

This is the December 4 assignment from the Holidays in Hand class I took from Jessica Sprague.

The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others' burdens, and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of Christmas.  ~ W.C. Jones

Write:  talk about a sentimental piece of holiday decor

Hmmm...sentimental piece of holiday decor.  Hmmm....when I think "sentimental decor" I think of a specific ornament that hangs on my tree - one I bought for Brad when I was "great with child" - pregnant with Elizabeth Jane in 2002.  It is a Hallmark Keepsake Ornament (we collect those, you know) of a sleeping daddy polar bear and his baby bear is asleep on him.  Inside the ornament boxes that year was a "trading card" where one could note to/from and write a special note.  I wrote on the card about how I looked at the ornament and saw what would soon be the very thing we'd longed for and how I couldn't wait to watch Brad snuggled up asleep with his baby girl.  Even now when I pull that ornament out of the box, I read the card and hang the ornament on the tree with tears in my eyes.  It reminds me of a precious, treasured time in my life.

Our photograph today is "a favorite piece of holiday decor."  I was going to try to put up my Willow Tree Nativity today, but we're still trying to decorate the tree so I'm putting it off until tomorrow.  Then I'll take a photo of it and the ornament mentioned above.  I'll share them both when I share my layouts (whenever I finally get them done).

My "do" today was to put up the Nativity and possibly the Dept 56 - but see the previous paragraph to see why that isn't happening.   In a desire to not overschedule us, I do not have a "make" today.

The "remember" prompt:  Do you have any decorating traditions that were handed down to you?  It's not actually decorating traditions that were handed down as much as it is decorations that have been handed down.  When Brad and I married, I brought so many ornaments with me that we were able to decorate a big tree our first Christmas together. We didn't, though, since we lived in a tiny apartment.  I have collected Hallmark ornaments since I was in high school.  This little guy was one of my first ornaments...who knew when I got him that he'd be so valuable?  We still buy Hallmark ornaments for our tree and each child has a series of ornaments; they also get an ornament from my mother - by the time each of them marries, they should be able to outfit a full-size tree, too!  I also brought the felt stocking my mom had made for me and Brad had the felt stocking that I'd made for him.  I have the kit started for Elizabeth's...but, um...well, having babies kept me from finishing it.  What I'd like now is to stitch - or convince Brad to stitch - six of the Shepherd's Bush stockings because I'd really like for us to have hand-made stockings like I did growing up.