The story of Christmas decor

Decorating for Christmas has always been a favorite for me, since the kids were really young, to surprising them when they returned from school, and after 30 years of accumulating gifts, creating crafts and hand picking my favorites, looking back, I love all the stories they have to tell.

Each year I haul up the many totes filled with holiday decorations, a workout in itself, place them on the counters in an overwhelming pile. Unwrapping each item as I sort through the memories they bring while weaving the stories from the past and present together.

These decorations accumulated through years of friendships and crafts, fill my heart with nostalgia, while tugging at the heartstrings of the past. With life constantly evolving its hard to hold onto the precious pieces before they slip away, but even if its just for a bit I can picture the happiness in the moments of the seasons past. 

I love the stories my decorating creates, from a collection built over years, to a special gift from a friend, arranging each vignette is a bittersweet act that gives back through the years.

Each stocking I stitched with love through the summer months to have it ready for the season ahead, year after year, adding to the family and to our mantle. As I watched even my creativity grow from my first to the last.

The joy and all is bright signs were made two different years at the annual Bertram scrapbooking weekend, as well as the many mini Christmas albums filling the basket in front of the fireplace.

This Longaberger basket was one of the many gifts from my sister that I adore, filling it with sprigs of Christmas to adorn the  back of a chair and changing it up after the season is just some of the special ways to include them in the season.

Every year my girlfriend Lisa added another trim a tree Longaberger basket to my collection and each year I enjoy bringing them out and creating a new display with them.

And it all started with one angel and I was hooked on these sweet Lori Mitchell collectables.

I believe part of the magic in Christmas is all the memories created, those things that create pause in your day, bring a smile and the ones you can include with making new memories.