the best ornament

my happy christmas tree

I spent Sunday afternoon decorating Christmas trees....my own and helping my mother with hers. My mom, sister and I always decorate her tree together....playing old Christmas albums (yes, I mean vinyl) , trying to remember which candle sits on which table and telling the ornament stories. That is my favorite part....the stories...no matter how many times I hear them. My parents have been collecting ornaments from all of their travels over the years...every ornament on that tree has a story. As my brother, sister and I grew up and had our own journeys, we started bringing back something for the tree as well. And the story dearest to my heart is the one of the star.


from a roadtrip to bayfield during
a camping trip when it rained the
whole time

When my parents were sharing their first Christmas as a married couple decades ago, my father cut out the shape of a star from a piece of cardboard, wrapped it in tinfoil, and placed it on the top of the tree. Over 35 years later, that same star is shining from the top of their Christmas tree. When we were young children, we would rotate years so that each of us would get a turn putting it up (with the help of Dad's height and steady hand). It was the last ornament that went on...the best ornament that went on.


from pumpkinfest in port elgin...

I am carrying on my mother's tradition. Bringing back ornaments from trips, building the stories for my tree. A few years back, the first Christmas after I moved out of my parents house, my Dad handed me a present to open. It was light as a feather. And when I opened the box, sitting there nestled in tissue paper was my own handmade tinfoil star. For my own Christmas tree. And it is....the best ornament that goes on.


my star...the heart of my tree