Christmas Keepsakes

One of my favorite rooms to decorate for Christmas is our breakfast area, which is open to the kitchen. Most of our holiday gatherings usually end up in the kitchen, and our Christmas tree is set up in a corner of the breakfast area where we can enjoy its festive lights and decorations from the kitchen while we cook. The next picture shows the breakfast area as it looks now, decked out in its Christmas finery, which includes a mix of old and new decorations and keepsakes, some of which we've used since our children were babies. One of the new additions this year is this mischievous little "sock elf" which is perched precariously on top of the chandelier ... I named him Max, and I can just picture him scurrying down at night to help himself to some of the candy in the jars on the table below ... The little gingerbread kids pictured below are new this year, too — a boy for our grandson Maddox, and the little girl jumping rope for our granddaughter Avery Grace, who is mastering the art of rope jumping these days. I especially enjoy displaying some of the older keepsakes on the shelves of our old Welsh dresser ... Like this little angel chime that my husband and I bought our first Christmas after we were married. And the little Santa's workshop we bought when our children were babies ... Several of our keepsakes hang on the tree, and it's always nice to remember when and where we acquired them. This little fellow was part of the mobile that hung over our daughter Whitney's crib when she was a newborn ... We used the mobile for our son Benjamin, too, and when he outgrew it, I just couldn't bear to pack it up in a box to gather dust in the attic, so I carefully took it apart and every Christmas we enjoy hanging the little figures on the tree. My most treasured ornament is the tree topper, which was handed down to me by my mother. It graced the tops of the Christmas trees of her childhood and still has the 29-cent price tag attached to the inside of it. I hope to pass it down to my children some day, and hope it will mean as much to them as it means to me. And speaking of meaningful ornaments ... the dog pictured in the frame below was our beloved Springer Spaniel Patch. Patch was one of the sweetest dogs on earth and I know in my heart that he is patiently waiting for us to join him someday at "The Rainbow Bridge." I love displaying these keepsakes and precious ornaments from Christmases Past, and treasure the memories and traditions they rekindle for me and my family. I'm excited about having my parents, our children, and grandchildren all under one roof (ours!) for the holidays ... and I'm looking forward to sharing with them, and remembering the stories behind, each and every one of these and the other Christmas keepsakes that are so much a part of the traditions of our family's Christmases Past.