Traditions

While I was up north
doing what I could for
Dani, Brad & Garrett
last week,
my sweet Mr Wonderful and his shadow,
the Boof-dog
got out the Christmas tree
and all fixin's
so we could put up our tree
when I got home Saturday.

Boof-dog had the patience to
hook up all the lights
on the tree
when Mr W did not.

They assembled it
right in the center
of the family room.

And there it stood
lit up
nekkid
until last night.

We have small traditions
in our family...
neither of us had big
family traditions
when we met
so we've developed our own.

Regarding the Tree,
there is a story behind one of our traditions:
When Mr W and I met
it was the week before Christmas.

I wanted to give him a gift
but not too personal
since we had only met thru
the internet (another long story--not Match.com/Harmony.com or any other .com),
and visited on the phone--
but I wanted it to be special.
He had said in a phone conversation that he hadn't
had his own tree in many years
as he lived overseas
and came back to the States to share the holidays
with his father in Montana.
So I bought him a dozen handmade ornaments,
so he could at least have something to put on
his step-mom's tree.
Cheesy, I know.
But if you've been around here
for any length of time,
you know,
I am all about cheese.

That year, 1997,
a  Christmas song came out on the radio--
I told Mr W about it,
but I didn't know who sang it
or even the title,
but everytime I heard it
I just got all choked up.
Mr W called a radio station
and they told him it was
"Mary, Did You Know?"
by Kenny Rogers and Wynonna Judd.
But he didn't tell me.

Anywho,
the first time I met him,
he said he'd brought me some gifts,
as I was departing.
I hadn't told him I too, had a gift
for him.
He handed me a little gift-wrapped box
and inside
was 12 hand-carved wooden ornaments
of little bears and moose
from Montana.
And the "Mary Did You Know?" cd.
I smiled.
And handed him my gift
and told him to open it after I left.

What we didn't know
was that the next Christmas
we would be putting those ornaments
on the same tree together,
listening to that same song.

So every year,
before the kids place their ornaments
on the tree,
they sit back quietly,(under threat of death)
as
we put on that cd
play that song
and together we place our ornaments
on the tree together.

Then they each get their own ornaments
and place them on the tree.

Christmas traditions create memories

that can last forever,

what is a Christmas Tradition

in Your House?