This is probably the most basic ornament on the tree, but it brings back such fun memories. I got this ornament with one of my best friends, Andrea, when we moved into our first "real" apartment after college. We went to Target and found some ornaments to put on our little tree in our quaint apartment with the stinky hallways. When Andrea got married, we moved out of the apartment and spilt-up the Christmas decor. This ornament is kind of like a best friends necklace, in that I know that Andrea is still putting the very same ornaments on her tree.
# 11: Baby MaxBefore Max came into our lives, each year when I put the ornaments away, I would hope and pray that maybe... just maybe... next year we would be celebrating Christmas with a little baby. This year, after years of waiting, that dream came true!! I found this adorable ornament on etsy.com and thought it did a great job of commemorating our little guys first Christmas with us!
There is a sad black hole that is inescapable this Christmas. Last January, Wade lost his little brother suddenly to a very aggressive form of testicular cancer. Our hearts are heavy this year as we ache for the amazing friend, son, husband, father and brother that was Kenton. Although the pain of this loss is real every day, we are comforted to know that Kenton spent this Christmas in heaven... where the Christmas story all began. Kenton was a KU fan (especially basketball), so this ornament commemorates a little brother that will be in our hearts forever.
# 9: Our little"Lady"
This ornament is all about our special little puppy Daisy. She is a three-year old king charles cavalier / cocker spaniel mix and happens to look a lot like "Lady" from Lady and the Tramp. She is our first baby and we do our best to remember to spoil her now that she has a little brother to compete with. She is a whiney, wussy dog... but she is super lovable!
It's not like I absolutely love Mickey or that I wear clothes with Disney characters embroidered on them, it's just that Disney World is special to me because it was the site of one of our favorite family vacation destinations. Every few years, my grandparents would pay for the whole family... aunts, uncles, cousins... to spend a week in the Magical World of Disney. I know it sounds cheesy, but to me this spot is the center of some of my earliest and happiest family memories...plus Florida is SO deliciously warm compared in Minnesota in December!!!
If you know me, you know that I love my girlfriends. I am blessed to have amazing friends from grade school, high school and college, but this ornament commemorates a special group of girlfriends from Northwestern College. We always talked about going on a big trip together the year that we all turned 30... and in 2010, we made it happen! I got this ornament on that trip - a Caribbean cruise with just the girls...nothing better than girlfriends, white sand and sunshine!
Wade and I always like to take some kind of trip to celebrate our anniversary each year. Some trips are more extravagant than others, but we try to commemorate each trip with a special ornament. To celebrate our 5th anniversary, we took an exciting trip to Philadelphia, NYC and DC. During this trip we got around on all forms of mass transit - buses, subways, airplanes, taxis, trains. Ironically, Wade had a strange fear of getting locked in an NYC taxi, so I thought this ornament was appropriate
#5: My Handyman
I got this ornament for Wade the year that we bought our first home. Despite the fact that the real estate market has crashed since then and our townhouse may not exactly be worth what we paid for it, we will always look back on the memories fondly.... the hours of painting, hammering, finishing...and finally calling someplace our very own. I am lucky I married such a handy guy!
#4: The Quintessential Music Ornament
What is the perfect Christmas gift for any music teacher??... A music ornament, of course. Being married to a music teacher means that I have inherited a box full of music-themed ornaments... from treble clefs to musical instruments of every shape and size, we have an amazing selection. Ironically, I usually just like to hang this lone trumpet each year.
Wade gave me this car ornament one of the first years that we were dating. At that time, we had matching VW Beatles. Mine was the "new" Beatle and Wade was the classic model. Inside this unassuming ornament was my Christmas present that year... two diamond stud earrings. This ornament reminds me of those romantic days and the diamond ring I would get just a year later!
Wade and I both like to read, but Wade is more of the bookworm of the family. He is currently working on his masters degree and spends most of his free time reading, studying, researching and writing papers. He has always been a perfectionist when it comes to his grades and usually complains about any grade short of a perfect A. Ironically, his blood type is also A+.
This is my favorite ornament. I got this one last year when Wade and I were going through the IVF process. At the time Wade gave me the ornament, we didn't know if the process had been successful and if we were actually pregnant. Either way, we wanted to commemorate the experience and our tiny embryos. It is amazing to think that just a year later we are a family of three. What a miracle!
Now that Christmas is over it is time to pack-up the ornaments for another year, it is exciting to think what 2012 will hold!! However, more than anything, this Christmas I hope you and your family reflect on the true meaning of the season.
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| "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. " Luke 2:11 |
Merry Christmas and Happy 2012 from the Schroeders!
Lauren, Wade, Baby Max & Daisy
Fun post Lauren! Beautiful ornaments and stories.
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful ornaments and memories they hold! Thanks for sharing their meanings. I especially liked the girlfriends/cruise one!
ReplyDelete