It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The air is full of the excitement of the season from holiday music to festive Christmas displays to the scents of holiday baking. Kids are excited about presents and wrapping paper and ribbon are being purchased along with hooks for the ornaments on the tree. You can never have too many hooks, they seem to disappear during the year like socks in a dryer.
A big part of the excitement of the season is putting up and decorating the Christmas tree. And no matter whether your tree is artificial or real, the tradition of decorating the tree is a highly anticipated event in most homes.
Once the tree is selected or the artificial one set up and ready the lights need to be strung unless yours is pre-lit, in that case, lucky you! You get to go straight to pulling out the Christmas ornaments and hanging them all over the tree.
Unless your tree is in the center of the room, do you decorate the back of the tree? Some people say no, no one sees the back of the tree anyways while others say yes, it adds to the overall look of the tree plus it is a good place to put extra ornaments.
The first ornament on the tree is always a special one, which one will be first this year? Will it be a beautiful, shared memory ornament from a family trip such as the festive Chicago Flag Suitcase Ornament or will it be a memory from childhood such as the Baby Rocking Horse Ornament? Both are handmade and hand-painted in Poland to create lifelong memories.
As you and your family continue to pull out ornament after ornament to hang on the tree, the memories continue to flow. Remember the Small Truck Ornament from when they were little and the Big Truck Ornament you gave Grandpa? Oh, and here are the Polish Highlander Boy “Goral”, Polish “Krakowianka” Girl from Krakow, Polish “Krakowiak” Boy from Krakow, Polish Highlander Girl “Goralka” all handmade, hand-painted ornaments that you got to commemorate your family trip to Poland.
Maybe you decorate throughout the day or maybe you take time to listen to some Christmas music and have some cocoa or lunch together. Some trees are so large it takes families a couple of days to decorate the whole tree from top to bottom! However you decorate your tree, alone or with family, the special memories are sure to keep flowing as every special ornament is pulled from its tissue lined box where it spends 11 months of the year.
Here are the Black Cat, Red Cat, and White Cat Ornaments that were given to you by a good friend when you got your first kitty and here is that special Chicago Bean – Cloud Gate during the Day Ornament purchased on a recent trip to the Windy City, What fun that was! Next time you go back you think you will buy a Chicago Bean – Cloud Gate at Night Ornament for your mom, she loved having her picture taken at the bean with you and your dad. Maybe even a Chicago Bean – Cloud Gate Mini Bean or Chicago Horizontal Sign for your cousin since they were there at the same time with you.
You are getting down to the end of the ornaments but there are still a lot of wonderful memories to be unpacked and hung up like the handmade wonderfully detailed Treasure Box and Piano Ornaments you received as wedding gifts.
Then there is a bright red Fire Truck Ornament your husband got for the tree, his dad was a firefighter and he also loves the Train Engine Ornament you bought together the first year you were married.
Just a few more ornaments left, here is the brilliant red, Chicago Sign Ornament you bought on your very first trip together there. It is handmade in Poland and hand-painted for a wonderful keepsake.
Here comes the Motorcycle Ornament, purchased when you thought you were going to get a motorcycle but had a baby instead! And last but not least out comes the final ornament, your Chicago Football Ornament, a family favorite for the die-hard football fans in the family. Around the holidays there is always a game on whether it is college or NFL football.
And speaking of football, now that the tree is done there must be a game on somewhere!
Add wonderful memories to your tree with gorgeous handmade, hand-painted Christmas ornaments from Poland that will keep your special memories alive season after season after season.