O {Share Your} Christmas Tree

If there isn’t already a therapy group for people like me, there should be one.

You see, I’m addicted to decorating my Christmas tree.

We started out with a minimum amount of Christmas decorations when we got our first tree nine years ago, and each year since then I’ve bought or made a little bit more, and a little bit more, and a little bit more.

Seriously, after nine years of adding more ornaments, I still stand back and think: “It needs more.” I justify that by saying the poor, base model tree has lost most of it’s needles and it’s branches are drooping. After all, “it’s nine years old, poor thing! A few more years and it will look like Charlie Brown’s christmas tree!”

It is true – nine years worth of ornaments and you can still see through to the other side. So obviously, the answer is more ornaments, right?

Clearly, I need help.

A Christmas ornament intervention.

I present Exhibit A:

Go ahead. Click on it to see it’s full beauty.

Incriminating evidence. (Isn’t it lovely?) Only a madwoman would cram that much stuff onto one tree. (Would you like to see some of my favorite ornaments?)

Please note that I did refrain from overloading it with lights. Instead of the usual 4 or 5 strand minimum, I have only one this year.

One!

Christmas tree treachery!

Okay – I confess the truth: a couple of strands stopped working last year and one of the remaining two didn’t work when we pulled it out this year. I was too impatient to buy replacement bulbs or new lights so I used the one and got straight to the decorating. (I’m not helping my case, here, am I…?)

I also present to the court Exhibits B-F:

Possibly my new favorite ornament of this season, I took this with the flash so that you could see more details. Believe it or not, I found this beauty of a nativity scene at WAL-MART of all places, for I believe, 2$.

It was totally worth it.

Dead center, you see here one of my 3 new magi ornaments, each one different. I was thrilled to find these, along with the funky nativity star-like ornament to the right and the red and gold oriental-looking ornament to the left (also at the aforementioned, WM – hereby listed as accomplice in the matter of over-ornamentation.) If you look, you’ll see one of the beaded icicle ornaments that I made with Princess when she was three and also a gold jingle bell – big like the ones in The Polar Express; I have silver and gold ones both.

Another shot of the gold nativity scene, without the flash so it doesn’t wash out. Look close and you’ll find a gold bell, a silver jingle bell, a gold cross (Wal-Mart!), an olive wood nativity scene (from Israel), one of the Adorenaments, and more beaded icicles.

Seen here: a second king, part of a fuzzy sheep ornament the girls made last year, part of a red nativity start I made with princess when she was 3 (with clay, a cookie cutter and some acrylic paint.) Also, a better shot of a gold cross and a white ornament and a silver ornament. Since religious ornaments are harder to find, we also use colors, shapes and materials symbolically.

If the gold nativity ornament isn’t my favorite, then this one is. I also got this one the other night at Wal-Mart. But I don’t want you to think I’m WM exclusive. The jingle bells, the silver glittery snowflakes (top left corner) and angels (not pictured,) that silver drop ornament next to the “JOY,” a set of four nativity scenes that read “Keep Christ in Christmas” and many other items have been purchased at our local Dollar General – which is one of my favorite places to shop. The Dollar General, it is my friend. 😉

Back to the “JOY”… There are a lot of things to remember and celebrate at Christmas. We can be thankful, solemn, sentimental, worshipful and joyful. I want to be all of those things at some point in our celebration. But I want to cram as much JOY into my tree as possible. Joy and worship go hand in hand.

Christ is our Savior!

Christ is holy!

Christ is passion!

Christ is everlasting life!

Christ is our sacrifice!

Christ is redemption!

Christ is our King!

There’s a lot to be joyous about.

So call me crazy, send out the ornament police – do what you must. I’m certifiably bonkers. And I’ve even asked my grandmother if I can have some of my great-grandmothers ornaments that she made and she agreed. More ornaments are going on my tree… tomorrow. Maybe then my tree will have enough ornaments.

Then again, maybe not. 😉

O {Share Your} Christmas tree hosted by Kristen @ We are THAT family. Hop over to view more Christmas tree joy. =)