During my childhood, decorating the tree was a very special family event that kicked off the much anticipated Christmas season. Mom would polish the silver tea set and make hot cocoa to fill the gleaming pitcher. We sat in the living room arranging color-coded metal tree branches as she brought out the engraved platter that was full of delicious treats like chocolate chip cookies and warm banana nut bread.

After the tree was assembled, we dug through the ornament box, drank from our china cups and saucers, and remembered the stories behind each of the clay figurines and handmade bulbs as we put them on the tree.

The Christmas before Phil and I were married, I decided that I wanted an immaculate tree fit for a display at a five-star hotel. So, the next day we hit the mayhem filled stores at 6am to grab lots of ornaments at deeply discounted prices. I suppose we made some memories that day, but it wasn’t until this year that I realized I missed the nostalgic tree of my childhood. The one filled with stories and traditions.

So this year, we filled two trees with glittering lights and sparkly ornaments. There was enough room for the glitzy ornaments we bought for our first tree, as well as the heirloom figurines my mom received on her own wedding day. Though there’s just the two of us right now, Phil and I managed to make our own memories as we filled the tree with memories of Christmas past. I couldn’t be happier.

Okay, so I know I already decorated for the holidays, but I have been loving the festive decor I’ve been seeing pop up around the interwebs. I got to thinking… I really don’t have much vintage or kitsch in my seasonal decor, and I love to have little smatterings of fun things here and there. I might have to raid my mom’s stash of reject Christmas decorations!

images: Marusica, debee(art), elsie, cheryl