Decoration declarations

I'm sure I'm not the first person to figure this out, but half the fun of putting up Christmas decorations is recalling the special memories attached to each piece. The last couple years, it's been especially fun for me to see my kids enjoy the various ornaments. What a great reminder of how my life has evolved. And definitely for the better!

Take for instance the small stuffed dog that has captured Sydney's affections.

That puppy has been to Bosnia and back. Squeeze it in the middle and it plays We wish you a merry Christmas. I found it in a small store in Fitgers the year Jeff was deployed, and sent it to him as a gift from Maggie, our "child" at the time (four-legged golden retriever though she may be). That was such a tough Christmas. I certainly couldn't have envisioned back then the many wonderful Christmases to follow, especially the one just six years later when a little blonde girl would run around squeezing the puppy until you just don't want to hear that song ever again.

Other decorations haven't been with us long enough to inspire such sentimental thoughts. But by the end of the season, I'm sure there will be plenty of stories to tell about the Playmobil nativity and the many adventures the figures have endured.

By day 2, Santa was giving sleigh rides to Mary and baby Jesus. Meanwhile, the nutcracker, something I bought last year at AJ's request, served as the source of great confusion for my high-tech toddler.

I showed her how to move the lever in back to move the jaw up and down, but it all seemed pointless to Sydney. She finally looked at me with an expression that can best be described as asking, So what's the point? As she moved on to the next toy she commented, "It no have buttons."