About 20 years ago, I started collecting Christopher Radko and other fragile ornaments. I received a lot of them as gifts and would buy them at After Christmas sales. I have amassed quite a collection and treasure each of them. I love taking them out every year and remembering when I got them. who gave them to me and what was going on in my life I that particular year.
However, since having kids, I have been in a bit of a conundrum about the ornaments. I love them, but feel stressed taking them out with the kids around. Each year, we do a bit of battle with the ornaments. I beg them to let me put them up, while they watch and they beg to help me. I usually concede and at least one of my precious ornaments gets broken. My heart breaks just a bit, with the ornament.
I have a second collection of ornaments that are less fragile. Some are from my childhood, some from the years right after college when I had my own apartment and Christmas tree but couldn't afford anything too fancy; and the rest my kids have either made or brought home over the years. They are adorable, but don't really coordinate with my Radko's, if you catch my drift.
So what to do?
This year, I decided to go to Home Depot and buy the kids their own little (it's actually a 5'-6' tree) Douglas Fur, for $39! It was really easy to get home and get up. We put it in the family room, since the Radko tree is in the living room. We strung the lights on and hung all the adorable ornaments, on Thanksgiving weekend. It was a lot of fun and felt like one of those great compromising moments, that don't happen often enough (either because you are too busy or too tired to think of a creative solution).
I am really enjoying their "little" humble tree. Unlike "my" tree, which I purchased from Frontgate (you have to have a fancy Frontgate tree to go with your Fancy Nancy ornaments, don't you?), their tree is sweet, homey and it actually smells like Christmas.
This was one of those proud mom moments, where I actually came up with a good solution to a problem, with very little strife. I wish I could be that awesome all the time!
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