Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Monday, December 4, 2017

Christmas at Our Home, Part I ---- A Special Tradition

Welcome to our Home at Christmas  (one of my favorite ornaments)
Dear Friends,  It's hard to believe that it is December and that Christmas will be here before we know it..... Time Flies When We are having FUN,  doesn't it??????   (not sure all of this hustle and bustle is always fun though... ha).....

Anyhow,  since I will only have 3 blog posts between now and Christmas Day,  I want to take those three posts and share more about  our Christmases.  If you have been following my blog for years,  then you  may already know a lot about Christmas at our Home....  Many of you know how much I LOVE Christmas... I love to decorate the 'old-fashioned' way using multi-colored lights,   the regular Christmas colors of greens and reds--and doing things inexpensively!!!!!   My home is definitely not a fancy one by a long shot when looking at others' homes at Christmastime.   BUT--it's OURS and we love it....

One non-expensive tradition which I love and which George and I started in 2001 when we got married is to exchange cute and sometimes crazy ornaments each Christmas.   I love unwrapping all of these 'memories' each year as I put them on our tree....   I've shared some of the ornaments through the years on blog posts, but since I'm never sure what I've shown before and what I haven't,   I just chose a bunch to share today with you.   Hope you enjoy seeing one of our special Christmas Traditions!!!!


All we need at Christmas is each other!

One of my MANY Bird Ornaments 

Another pretty birdie --but I think he may be a 'tad' too big to get inside that birdhouse!!!!! ha

My all-time favorite bird,  the Eastern Bluebird;   I ordered this one from Etsy --and absolutely LOVE it.  

That little Cardinal is sitting in his nest in our tree!!!!

Ah---how sweet;  George and I are lovers forever!

This was one of our FIRST ornaments --from 2001... AH---it's all about MEMORIES.

A cute little Bluebird house sitting in our Christmas Tree

These 3 ornaments show some of our many trips we took in 2014.

As you know,  we grow ROSES --along with many other beautiful flowers in our yard.... We try to keep something blooming most of the year  (except Winter).

Both George and I LOVE Music....  Right now we have been listening to Christmas music  in the house,  while working in the yard,  and while we are in the car!!!!!  LOVE it!

We collect ornaments from many of our travels...  This is a neat little ornament from Mt. Rushmore.

HA HA HA ---Here's a FUNNY ONE which needs no explanation......Glad she admitted it though  so that Santa would know that all she deserved was a 'bag of coal'..... ha ha 

A cup of Hot Chocolate is warming --but not as warming to my heart as George is!!!!

Another Cute One I got for George one year,  showing Santa and his LONG list....  (Seems as if I always have a "honey do"  list going for George.... ha ha )

Another one I got for George in about 2001;   I call this little fishie   my little 'kissie' ornament --since I love George's kisses so much!!!!!!
WELL----I could go on and on and on --but this is plenty for  one post!!!!!!  You can see how much fun we have exchanging ornaments every Christmas morning.    We experience such joy --and so many memories through the years!!!!!!

I hope you will share some of your special Christmas memories this month.....

Have a great week ---and always remember that none of us bloggers really know what our blog friends are going through in their lives and families... We need to be patient with each other --when some of us do not have time to comment on others' posts as much as we wish we could....I have experienced this 'need for patience' first hand this past year.   George and I just hope and pray that 2018 is a better year for us and our families....

Hugs,

32 comments:

Ann said...

Where did the year go? It's hard to believe we are this close to Christmas already. You're tree is full of so many wonderful ornaments. I like the idea of exchanging them each year to add more memories to the tree

George said...

I didn't realize we had so many cute ornaments. At the rate we're going, we'll need a bigger tree!

Big Dude said...

I don't think you could possibly hide your love of the Christmas Season.

linda m said...

You have such cute ornaments. i have many ornaments that I have collected from all over the wold from my days as a military wife. However, since we down-sized our tree has gotten smaller so many of them don't come out of the boxes any more. Thank you so much fro sharing yours with us. And yes, we do need to be patient with others this Season!

eileeninmd said...

Hello Betsy, gorgeous decorations! You know I love all the birdie ornaments.

Enjoy the Christmas season! Have a great new week!

Linda G. said...

I love all your ornaments.

Arkansas Patti said...

Those are the best ornaments--personal and fun. Loved the stockings with one for the birds but the cardinal in the nest is my favorite.
Know you will have fun decorating this year. Enjoy the season.

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

What wonderful ornaments dear Betsy. This post was filled with lots of love and happiness!

Merry Christmas to you and George ~ FlowerLady

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

We've sort of given up on Christmas decorations, so I love seeing yours. I have some in the attic that I should really find new homes for because they're too nice to throw away. Your tradition of exchanging ornaments is sweet and will provide a lifetime of memories.

Ginny Hartzler said...

You did GOOD, Betsy! I do not remember seeing any of these before now. My favorites are your gorgeous bluebird, the two cardinals on the love sign, and the bird in the nest. It was hard to choose. Can you tell I love birds? We saw many new species this year on our birding adventures. Betsy, may I ask you a favor? Phil had a stress test, and the doctor told him not to do anything stressful and to only rest until he has a catherazation. Would you pray that he gets this test very soon, and that they are able to fix the problem in a simple way?

Betsy said...

Betsy, I so enjoyed seeing some of the ornaments that you and George have exchanged through the years. I always made each of the children a new ornament every year and when they moved out, they got them for their own tree. That left ours very bare! It's filling up again now, but I wish Dennis and I had done what you and George have done. Sweet memories.
Blessings,
Betsy

David said...

Betsy, Thanks for sharing part of your ornament collection with us! We're a bit like Linda though...downsizing our Christmas decorations and efforts. We have a nice little tree and some Christmas decor on the mantle and scattered around our living area. We have boxes and boxes of Christmas ornaments, some very special, but we gave up struggling with a big tree, the lights and all of that. We do enjoy seeing other folks Holiday efforts though! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Ruth Hiebert said...

I love seeing all your special ornaments. To me they say just how much you love each other and that is priceless.
Hugs,
Ruth

Fun60 said...

That's a wonderful tradition you started.

Barb said...

I so enjoy your upbeat posts, Betsy. Love is everywhere in your home and at Christmas those little ornaments bring forth the good memories. Hugs to both you and George.

The Furry Gnome said...

Hope you enjoy all that hustle and bustle!

Happytrails said...

What a wonderful tradition!!! You two have so many special ornaments and memories to go with them. I love birds too!! I know your tree is so pretty with all these special ornaments on it.

Linda said...

You guys are such lovebirds! My fave is the kissie one.

Linda P said...

It's heartwarming to know about your tradition of decorating your Christmas tree with George and exchanging new ornaments on Christmas morning. You have a lovely collection. Each one is special and must bring back happy memories of the Christmases you've been together.

Beatriz said...

So kind! I love the Christmas' decorations in the US. We don't have so many in the tropics because it's Summer time, very very hot!!!

Hugs Betsy!
Bia
www.biaviagemambiental.blogspot.com

Brenda Kay Ledford said...

Oh, Betsy, how I love your Christmas ornaments. They are so beautiful. I really love the cardinal and bluebird ornaments.

I sure hope you and George have a very Merry Christmas and blessed New Year that will be much better than 2017.

Connie said...

Your ornaments are so pretty and cute. The love you and George feel for each other makes that tree shine!

Latane Barton said...

Merry Christmas, Betsy and George. Love your ornament tradition. You have such lovely ones and so meaningful, too.

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

I love that the birds have their own stocking in that first ornament. You have lots of fun ornaments!

Lady Fi said...

So many lovely ornaments! And you're right - we should show kindness and patience towards each other.

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

Oh what a thoughtful gift each year! The memories are precious.....I don’t know which was my favorite but the bluebird was pretty

Pat Tillett said...

Wow! If you get many more ornaments, you're going to have to start decorating the trees around your house. Seriously though, you have a lot of great keepsakes.

BeachGypsy said...

hi there Betsy and wow!--love all the fun and pretty ornaments! great collection there! Brrrrrrr--we're having a cold spell here in Charleston, only in the FORTIES!! Chilly chilly chilly. Do y'all have a fun weekend planned?

Wendy said...

Oh Betsy - you make me smile. Can't remember what you've posted. Oh me too! I can totally relate! Ah well, it doesn't matter. We enjoy your posts - all of them. They exude happiness and that's kept me going all these years without David. You are truly a inspiration to us all!

I'm with you on decorating the old fashioned way. Red and green, inexpensive lights. No need to go all out, I'd rather just enjoy the season, family, snow gently falling, and the spirit of the season.

Have a wonderful Christmas, Betsy. I'm still shopping, but it will all come together in the end. It always does.
Thanks for your friendship all these years. I look forward to blogging more in the new year.
Hugs,
Wendy

Twilight Man said...

You are so creative and put so many pretty birds to make this Christmas tree so alive! I love your ideas and that Eastern Bluebird. The craft is well made.

Lowcarb team member said...

Oh Betsy, what a wonderful post.
So lovely to see your ornaments and what a great collection.

Sending my good wishes for the Christmas Season.

All the best Jan

Rose said...

Oh, I so loved seeing all of these...loved that very first...love the stocking for The Birdies....