O' Tannenbaum

When I was about 4 or 5 my mother started the tradition of buying my sister and I each a porcelain doll for the tree. We have received one every year since. They have travelled all over the world with me. They have been to Nebraska, Okinawa, Texas, and now England. Every time I open my storage boxes to reveal each beautiful doll it brings back a memory. Memories of Christmases with my sister where we would lay down under the tree and look up, enjoying our own private Christmas wonderland. Memories of bubble lights, tinsel, and hand made ornaments made by two little girls with their whole lives ahead of them. It is very hard to be away from home during the holidays. I will not tell anyone that it gets easier, but I will say it stings less every year. You start your own traditions with your family and that helps. My children count on me to make the holidays memorable since they are creating their own memories that they will be reminded of when they unpack their ornaments each year. Who knows where my kids ornaments will travel? Will they have a passport like mine? Or, will they stay in one area in a garage or attic safely tucked away till next year? My mother did a wonderful thing for me when she started that tradition. She must have known that the dolls would each represent a memory for me that would come flooding back every time I hang one on the tree. So today I am grateful for that tradition my mother started so many years ago, but more so for all the wonderful memories I have because of that tradition.