Merry Christmas

A little over a month ago, Craig made a startling discovery. Someone had broken into our storage unit. At first glance, we noticed the chainsaw (worth about $400) was gone and an old guitar. There was one other thing that I can't remember.

Today, we decided to put up Christmas. I also decided it was time to hang the boy's school pictures. Craig came home from the storage unit and the cedar chest that my dad gave me for high school graduation was gone.

In it was a lot of our wall pictures. Two pictures of Christ (not the one from Brenda, we still have that one), the 8 x 10 pictures of the boys and Thea. I store the old pictures in the frame, so I have lost all of the 8 x 10s. The Family: A Proclamation, the Living Christ, my high school diploma, my certificate from seminary, possibly my Dixie College diploma and my BYU diploma. My high school tassel and cord and my sash and tassel from Dixie. Brenda brought an authentic Muslim (male) costume home from Desert Storm back in the 1990's. Some blankets to keep the pictures from scratching each other up. A piece of homemade paper that a friend had made me. Just various keepsakes and memories.

The chest itself has two big cracks in the wood on the lid. It can't really be fixed. I would have to have a new lid made. It also has 6 false drawers on the front. On one of the drawers, the hardware (brass?) is loose and I can't tighten it. It has no resale value. But it was a gift from my dad, who is now gone.

Two Christmas tubs were also missing. In one are my homemade stockings. I made them from wine (2) and pine green (2) velvet with a cuff of the white velvet from my wedding dress. And the four stocking hangers -- snowflakes.

The other tub held all my ornaments that I had collected since college. My 49er bear, my nutcracker, my porcelin baby a friend gave me when Josh was born. Musical instruments, ornaments the kids had made from school and primary, two bear ornaments from the Black Bear Diner in Madras, a snowman playing golf and a santa riding a bike I bought because they reminded me of Craig. Various angels and balls. My white lights.

And the 20 year old Christmas tree stand was gone.

But, I still had the snowflake ornaments I crocheted in college. I still had the brass bells I bought in college. And I still had the pearl garlands that I bought in college. So here is a picture of my Christmas tree. It is almost like my very first Christmas tree that I did on my own. My white lights were gone, but we had the colored lights. And I still have the tree skirt my mother-in-law bought me my first married Christmas.

I am grateful they didn't take all of my Christmas things. I also still have my lovely Nativity sets that my Loretta gave me. I am grateful I still have some things.

It is amazing how little time it takes to trim the tree when it is only bells and snowflakes. :)

And I have 5 x 7 s of my boys and Thea. Some of the poses were just the 8 x 10s, but I still have some of my pictures of the kids through the years. I am grateful for that too.



Simplier that what we have been used to, but still beautiful.



I love these nativity sets. I'm so glad I still have them.