12/14/2025
🎄The Christmas Tree🎄
This year, Christmas 2025, I decorated the tree solo. Brought it down from the attic. Fluffed it. Put the lights on. Placed every ornament. It brings the words of my 2-year old Manda from many years ago “I do it myself!”.
You know, it’s amazing how looking at each ornament brings back a memory, sentiment and a time or two, tears to the eyes.
The old ornament from the collection from my parents’ house - a small, silver glass ball that I wonder, did this come from Grandma Ott’s?
The handmade yarn and popsicle ornaments made by the girls that they not so long ago asked why I still put them on the tree. That question has no doubt since been answered as they now receive handmade ornaments from their Littles.
The nativity scene ornament from the parents of one of my Sunday school students years ago always takes front and center. Jesus is the reason for the season after all.
The ornaments from trips - a sparkly Margarita to represent Florida, a gold bedazzled ball from Las Vegas, a simple round wooden momento from The Badlands, the banjo from Nashville. So many wonderful trips represented.
The ceramic bear from my parents that reads ‘Mary ‘86’ - the year I graduated high school.
Multiple deer ornaments for D’s many successful hunts.
Many ‘Benisch Cookie Bake’ ornaments from baking with the girls. And through the years sooooo many yummy treats!
The ballet slippers ornament takes me back to the many years of the girls dancing, starting when they were each a tiny 3 years old.
Buddy the Elf ornament. My favorite Christmas movie. AND, it takes me back to busting a gut in the movie theatre, laughing so hard that D and the girls all kept looking at me like I was bonkers. But seriously now folks, Will Ferrell knocked that performance out of the park! Son of a Nutcracker, I don’t care how many times you see it, it never gets old, you cotton headed ninnymuggins!
Frosty the Snowman from Rudolph sparks all kinds of memories. Boomers and my fellow GenX-ers, there was nothing like the excitement of watching the Christmas movies the ONE time they were shown every year. There was no recording them for later, they were yearly household events your family absolutely did not miss.
Infant picture ornaments for each of our grandchildren from the year they were born. Our Little Men and one Little Miss. Every year they each enjoy finding their own special ornament on the tree.
Dayzie’s ornament. 15 years that sweet pup loved us through so many milestones; high school graduations, college graduations, marriages, births of all the Littles and losses of loved ones. She was the best companion for this family including multiple cat siblings. What a sweet, gentle soul she was.
The leg lamp ornament from A Christmas Story reminds me of that movie being on repeat during our family Christmas Eves and how much my dad loved it. Surely the time in which the movie was set resonated with him and brought back many memories of his childhood. This year, the last of my dad’s 12 siblings joined the rest of his family in heaven. Although all of the aunts and uncles were wonderful folks and the loss of each of them felt deeply, this one hit differently. It was the end of an era.
And this year, a special gift from my dear friend and soul sister of over 30 years. A simple clear glass ball filled with cut strips of bible verses from much loved Bibles. Accompanying the ornament is a quote from Charles H Spurgeon that reads “A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t”.
Ornaments in memory of my mom, dad and father in law - an angel, angel wings, american flag, picture ornaments, sentimental sayings. These memorial ornaments are beautiful, provide heartwarming memories and make me miss them even more deeply this time of year.
This year marks 10 years we’ve celebrated Christmas without my mom and 8 years without my dad. I know they are here with us always, but it doesn’t stop the wish that we could have just one more Weisensel Christmas Eve together. Sentimental gifts, White Elephant exchange, Tiger Meat sandwiches with onions on rye bread (according to Dad it wasn’t a Christmas Eve buffet without it!). One more family gathering where I swear Mom and Dad (mostly Mom!) showed up ready to feed an army. It runs in the Ott blood.
I hold in my heart countless heartfelt memories that make me so very grateful for my simple, wonderful childhood. Grateful for the childhood my daughters experienced and now seeing my grandchildren experience the love and wonder of not only the Blessed Christmas season but every day life.
As you think back to your memories and think ahead to what is to come, take time to also send love to people who for them this time of year might not be particularly magical or happy. They might simply be doing all they can to make it through.
Friends, life truly is the most precious gift. Treat it as such. We are abundantly blessed each and every day. What we need to remember to do is take time every single day to Be Still and thank God for all that we have and all that we are. Christmas, actually every day, isn’t about things. It’s about togetherness, the time spent, conversations had, meals shared, tears shed and belly laughs (who are we kidding, many times at someone else’s expense!) In other words, it’s about the connection. So bake the cookies and eat them too! Play the games. Enjoy the seasonal treat of eggnog. Sip the wine. Give gifts that have meaning, that speak to the soul. Really connect. After all, when we truly connect is when lifelong memories are made.
Wishing you all a very Blessed Christmas.
✌️❤️
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