Category Archives: Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories

Advent Calendar-December 4, 2012

Ackkkkkkkkk it’s December 4th and I have not started my cards yet!  Seems I am getting slower at getting them done every year!

I really don’t know how far back sharing of Christmas Cards goes in our family, but I do know that my parents and grandparents sent out Christmas Cards. I think the ones I like the best are those that contain photos of our friends and family. Even if it just the kids 😀

 

 

 

The Butler Boy’s okay so it is only two of them 😀

Warde Jr. would be the young man and I believe the little man would be Pete.

My guess the photo was taken in about 1957 as Bill would have been little.
(feel free to correct me 😀 )
Warde Jr. is my Nana’s nephew.

This is the Bouman Family

They are as follows

Becky, Freddie, Bobbie  front
Bob and Gloria back.
Gloria is a niece of Nana’s as well.

There is a note on the back of this card.

We were glad to get your note and the account of the wedding. I didn’t know you had any cousins in England.
This is a very busy time for us, but then I guess there isn’t any time that is slow. I’ve been out every night the last two weeks.

We received some slides from Marge and finally got to see what Philip looks like, although the last ones were taken in April.

It’s been unusually cold here but more like Christmas weather.

Merry Christmas to you both

Love, Gloria

Last but not least are three of the William’s Girls

Susan, Debbie and Karen
daughters of Bob and Jane Williams

Jane is my grandfathers niece.

I was very happy to find these among photographs in my grandmothers belongings.  Puts some faces to names, and some cute little faces to grown up faces that I know.

I still get photos of families and I love getting them. Folks didn’t get family photos from us, but I did when the kids were in school send family members their school photos. I believe the school photos were appreciated, for they have been found in more the one family photo book!  Smile! 😀

MERRY CHRISTMAS

and

Happy Hunting!

 

 

Advent Calendar-December 3, 2012

Last year I wrote about ornaments “Made by Little Hands with Love !”.
This year I have a special ornament that hasn’t really ever graced one of our Christmas trees.
You see it is a tree in itself.
In 2006 my oldest daughter presented this ornament to me.

 

 

 

 

You are saying, I thought you said this was a tree.  It is if we flip the ornament around to see the other side this is what you will see.

 

 

 

 

Yes it is our family tree and it has never been in a tree. It actually sits on a shelf  in our tv cabinet year round. If you have a genealogist or family historian in your family. This would make a wonderful gift to them. I am guessing every Mom would like this one, even if she hasn’t been bitten by the genealogy bug 😀
I know I cherish it!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

and

Happy Hunting!

Advent Calendar-December 3 -Made by Little Hands with Love !

This year the folks at geneabloggers.com have decided to host another Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories prompt. There is a prompt for each day between Dec 1 and Dec 25. You can find details at Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACCM). Pick up your pen and join the fun!

 Made by Little Hands with Love !

 

I have many ornaments on my tree, gold, silver, red, and green. Ornaments made of wood, plastic, glass, and pottery. The tree is dressed in splendor each year.

I also have ornaments that do not grace my tree, but those that were given to me that included a stand. I have two such ornaments. One is a traditional globe with Santa on it and the other, I actually keep out all year. It was given to me by our oldest daughter, Jessica.  It is an ornament that has a small family tree on it with Jim’s and my name at the bottom the children’s names in the tree.  These are all wonderful, but I must say my favorite ornaments on the tree are those made by little hands.

If you have kids in your lives, I am sure you’ve all seen these hand-made goodies.  Santa’s made with construction paper, and cotton. Candles made with strung beads, Rudolf made with a clothes pin. The list is endless.
On my tree lives memories not only of my children’s younger days, but I believe one or two of mine have survived, how that happened I am not sure!
I gave my sister back an ornament that she made as a child that hung on our tree for many years. I am not sure if she was happy with it our not.
These ornaments hold the most in my heart, and when one gets damaged beyond repair it is these that I truly hate to throw away. For these are by little hands with love and with the true spirit of giving, to parents or other adults that they held near and dear to their hearts.

I have not decided yet if I will pass these treasures on to the kids as they settle into their own lives with their own traditions.  For now they still grace my tree and remind me of the smiles or my children.

Merry Christmas!

Advent Calendar-December 1- Charlie’s Tree!

This year the folks at geneabloggers.com have decided to host another Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories prompt. There is a prompt for each day between Dec 1 and Dec 25. You can find details at Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACCM). Pick up your pen and join the fun!

 Our Christmas Trees

Our family Christmas tree story is an evolving one, it has never stayed static for many years.  When I was in my informative years, we lived in Scottsdale Arizona. I am not sure where the trees came from maybe Northern Az, Colorado or points north. What I am sure of is the were pretty much dry when our family went out to find a tree on Christmas Eve or the day before that, depending on the time of the week in which those days fell. Way back when the stores weren’t open on the weekend or where only open on Saturday.  The tree was hard to find, by that time they were pretty much picked over and dry. Then there is the is the problem of agreeing on the Christmas tree that was a feat all of  its own.  Once the decision was final, when we then  purchased the tree. Put into the trunk of the car or tied atop and we were on our way.

With the sad lil tree, can you say Charlie Brown, on its way to a new place of honor to stand. On Christmas eve it would be stood up and put in its holder the tree was then watered. Silently the tree waited  for Santa to decorate it that night, while everyone slept. So much like Charlies lonely sad little tree, when Santa touched it, it became a gloriously handsome tree standing up straight and proud and the presents made the tree look  even grander. If I recall there was one tree that had was tied to a cup hook in the corner so it would not fall…as it had fallen, with which two little girls exclaimed in unison WE DID NOT TOUCH THE TREE! That time we were telling the truth or maybe I should say at that moment we were not touching the tree.

That tradition quickly changed when one year , my grandparents came from Ohio to visit us in Arizona. There was so much excitement in the air, two little girls had a hard time sleeping. We lived in apartment complex and our bedroom widow lined up with one across the street which in turn reflexed  a strange scene to us …. Santa? in the next room decorating the tree….what to our wondering eyes should appear, wellll it sure wasn’t Santa! Caught red-handed they were! Mom, Dad, Grandpa and Grandpa all decorating the tree. After we spilled the beans and told them what we had seen, we began decorating the tree on Christmas eve before going to bed along with  Mom and Dad. Santa still set the gifts out that night. Trish and I would set our presents, made at school usually under the tree for Mom and Dad. This tradition continued until I grew up and left home to start my family.

Our first Christmas tree as a married couple was beeeeauuuuuuuutiful to behold.
It was about 6 foot tall in the stand and probably double that in girth, short little dumpy full tree! Jim and I had so much fun decorating and buying the tree trimmings. We bought something called angel hair to drape on the tree, it was the rage you know. No one bothered to tell us that it was fiberglass and very itchy!!! Shew was that a challenge. We draped the angel hair longs ways down the tree, now it looked 20 ft wide! Still all in all it is a tree that I still remember when there have been so many before and after.

As the children started to come along we started our own traditions, some borrowed from his family and some from mine. We were lucky when the two oldest were little, there was a tree vendor that set up every year at the end of the street. We would go there about the second week of December and pick a tree then take it home and get it decorated, something the kids always loved to do. Jim would deal with the lights and getting it upright in the stand. The decorations then would be put on the tree. Before the kids got taller, I was in charge of the top of the tree. As the week went along the bottom would soon fill up with presents, all to and from each other. Trying to make sure that there was room left for Santa to leave off his gifts on Christmas eve after everyone were  snug in their beds.

As the kids got older we took them to a tree farm and we let them pick on their, again it tossed into the trunk or truck and safely delivered  home where it would be decorated. For many years we took our niece Kristie with us, she and our youngest were close in age and great buddies. I do miss this part of Christmas.

Now there are no little people in our home and we now have a faux tree. Something I really put a fight up about to no avail. It is perfect ! and just looks wrong, seeing we’ve been known for unique trees.

It has a been a journey full of fun love and adventure.
Till there are more lil ones, Santa and I will enjoy what we have.

Merry Christmas!