Christmas Memories

Christmas memories of happy years gone by
They come back to me and keep me warm inside
Still those Christmas memories make me cry

Christmas memories of happy years gone by
They come back to me and keep me warm inside
Good ole Christmas Memories
Oh, they mean so much to me
Oh, Those Christmas memories, make me cry...
~Alabama - "Christmas Memories"

Lacey and I cannot cook, bake, or basically do anything from Thanksgiving to Christmas without blaring Alabama's 2 Christmas albums. We have the two CDs so memorized that we even know the skips on the CDs. We don't even have to have the music with us, we can break out into any given song on either CD. I'm not sure Zane would admit it, but he can sing the songs too and will come into dance with us! Sure! We have probably two dozen other Christmas CDs, but they are low on our list and we couldn't celebrate without our favorite Alabama songs!  It takes me back to my childhood of dancing around the house with my mom to her favorite Christmas music.

I admit I'm kind of a scrooge when it comes to decorating for Christmas. It almost feels like moving! We have to carry in ALL those boxes full of decorations. They sit all over the house until they are unpacked. It takes hours and some times days. I have to rely on Lacey and Zane and their schedules to put stuff up.

But then I open up each box and the memories come flooding out and warm my heart.

I carefully unwrap a clear glass blown ornament. Inside is Joseph and pregnant Mary traveling on a donkey. Zane and I bought that ornament during our second Christmas. We saved up our money to go to Silver Dollar City. While there we went in the Christmas shop. We found this beautiful ornament but knew, for us, it would be more than our budget could handle at the moment. We decided to splurge. I'm so happy we did! To look at that ornament and remember our early years is cherished.

I pull out a mouse looking in a mirrored moon given to me by my brother, Tom or ceramic mouse made by a neighbor down the street while we lived in Chattanooga. These are in recognition of my childhood nickname "mouse" and bring back cherished memories.

Lacey pulls out a linen type bag that holds a hut made out of coconuts and hand carved and painted stone people and animals... Our nativity from Haiti. It always feels like those parts of our hearts which we have left in our far away home have come back for a time.

The blocks hand made by my sister in law that spell out Merry Christmas. For the last 2-3 years the "Y" has been lost and we've settled on "merr christmas" and laugh. Almost disappointed that we found the "Y" this year! 

I pull out handmade crafts from Lacey's early years. The picture above is a wreath made by Lacey. I sit there and trace her precious 4 year old hands and miss that age. Lacey comes over and places her 21 year old hands on top to compare... where have the years gone? This was her first homemade gift to give me. She was so excited and could barely wait for me to unwrap it. There's the reindeer made with her 6 year old hand. The sock snowman made when she was 7. So many precious, cherished memories!

Our tree is loaded with my favorite clear blown glass ornaments and icicles. There are ornaments that Zane has bought with care and some that are his favorite things. There are glittery ballerinas and snowbabies dancing all over our tree for Lacey. We have twinkling lights on the inside of the tree and solid lights on the outside and I'm kind of mesmerized by it. But that is not the only reason I love staring at the tree. I also love looking at it to see the precious memories that some of these ornaments bring to me.

So, yes, I'm happy to drag out ALL those Christmas decorations and fill my heart with Christmas memories!

I hope you have Christmas memories to cherish and warm your heart!

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