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A Box Full of Memories....
Each year after Thanksgiving, I put up the Christmas decorations. If the Big Guy had his way, they'd go up on Christmas Eve and come down on Boxing day (that's December 26th if you're aware).

As I was putting up the decorations on Friday, I couldn't help but feel a little out of sorts. I don't know why, but it just doesn't feel like the holiday season right now. Heck, I totally spaced out that my birthday was on Sunday until I was reminded that my team at work would be bringing treats the Monday after Thanksgiving to celebrate!

With that aside, don't get me wrong, I like setting up the holiday stuff. I love getting out the tree, trying to remember how in the world I fit it in my living room the year before, pulling out the lights, the wreath for the door, and my crates full of snowman stuff.

But what really brings me down memory lane, are my Christmas tree ornaments.

As a child, every year at Christmas, I would get a new ornament for the tree. My mom would write my name on it and the year. Quite some time ago, I got my ornaments. Sadly, many of them are missing due to the family dog getting into the ornaments one year. And a few moves across the country and back.

But I do have some that bring back lots of memories for me. Like....


My first ornament, I was a little more than a month old.....

Or the one I got in the 3rd grade during the class Christmas party. I got this from Theresa Dusbabek and was so excited to have had a "cool girl" pick my name for the class exchange.

During my sophomore year of college, I lucked out and got to live on a wing in my residence hall with awesome girls. We did a gift exchange and my good friend Sherie gave me this ornament. You plug it into one of the lightbulbs on your string of lights and it actually spins! Almost 18 years later and this thing still works.

Ummm....this is a no brainer. Hello? UND? What better ornament to hang on the tree!

As a child, my parents called me "Tink", which is short for Tinkerbell (I was a blonde headed, skinny, girlie girl. Go figure...). Anyway, I got this ornament because of this nickname. For the record, my mom will still call me Tink.

And sometimes the memories aren't always happy. Every time I see this ornament, I think of my move back to Minnesota from Michigan. I had broken up with my boyfriend of almost 5 years and was devastated. I packed up what I could into my car to move home and live with my best friend. Knowing it would be Christmas, I wanted to have an ornament on the tree, so this was it.

The plus side--I wouldn't change anything about that move or breakup. Because then I wouldn't be here and now.

Funny how life works.

And of course, this little snow man is one of my favorites. I got this from Amy after a weekend in historic New Ulm where we went Christmas shopping one fall day. This was well before boyfriends who turned into husbands, and summers filled with trips to the lake rather than training for 60 mile cancer walks.

This never changes either.

Put up the tree, and the cat feels it's her new place to hang out.

Now if I could just get her to stop eating the bows and ribbon....