Boxing it up

I always experience some sadness when it comes time to take down our Christmas tree. I feel like much of what has happened in our lives is represented on this tree. We still use our original ornaments that I made out of felt scraps because money was tight when we were first married. We have lots of little stuffed bears because they were ornaments the boys couldn't break when they were little. We have ornaments for those dear ones who have passed away---my dad and stepfather and our grandparents, for the baby I miscarried at five months. We have ornaments representing happy and cherished memories of family vacations and when we picked up sons from missions. We have some from Russia, Sweden, Germany, Austria, France, Spain, England, Scotland, Italy and Japan. We have ornaments representing historical sites of the United States: Mt. Vernon, the White House, Boston, and Nauvoo. There are ornaments from treasured friends and our children when they were in grade school. We have three small "Superman Santas" that represented Rob, James and Jared when they were little. There are sports ornaments for each boy and the sports they participated in. There are horses for Jane Anne. Our dog Jackie has two ornaments dedicated to her. The angel on top of the tree was hand made by my mother's friend, Patty Lee, and used on our tree when I was a child. What a coincidence that her husband is now my step father, John Lee. Each year as I get out the ornament box and start unwrapping it is like saying a welcome "Hello" to old friends and now that I have to wrap them up again it is as if I am saying "Good-bye". There is a lot of love signified in this tree---and I think that no matter how many years pass by, we will always have this "memory tree" as part of our Christmas!