The Tree

I love looking at our Christmas tree. Not only the bright colors, but also the memories that hang there. Every year when we bring out the ornaments, it is like opening a treasure trove of memories. The first ornament on the tree is the pink bell that I received when I was in kindergarten in South Bend. We still have the small green construction ring that Mark made, the rest of the links long gone.

We also have the ornaments the boys made. I love the popsicle picture frames made in grade school, and the gingerbread men made out of sandpaper. The raisins have held on after all these years, still shriveled as ever.

Of course no tree would be complete without the hockey pins that I received at each hockey tournament. Usually they are a wooden skate or stick with "Smith" and the kid's number. I wrote on the back of each one the date and the results of the tournament.

Every year, since they were born, we have given the kids a Christmas ornament. I try to make he ornament match with a special memory of hat year. The small fireman always reminds me of Ned's 2nd Christmas when he got the Tonka fire truck that was big enough for him to sit on. The leather reindeer I got when I was up in Alaska.

It will seem strange when the boys move into their own homes and put the ornaments on their trees. But at the same time, there is hope in the continuity, as ornaments are passed from one generation to another.