Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree

Have I mentioned that I love Christmas? Oh, I have. Several times, you say. Sorry bout that! I just can't help myself. I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

I love all things about Christmas, including the tree.

When I lived at home with my parents, we always had a Christmas tree. Each year I would lovingly put it up and decorate it and then mum would begrudgingly take it down some time in January when I couldn't be arsed.

Then I moved out to live with one of my close girlfriends, we had a little Christmas tree the few Christmas' we spent together. Lovingly decorated and filled with presents for our families and friends.

When Hubby and I lived together and Christmas rolled around, he poo-hoo'd the Christmas tree. He said he didn't want a Christmas tree until we had kids around at Christmas time. WHAT! I was sad, but still we didn't have a Christmas tree.

All that changed five years ago though when our little miss had her first Christmas and we had our first Christmas tree! And we have had one ever since. As where we have lived has gotten bigger and bigger to accommodate our growing family - a unit, a townhouse and now a house, our Christmas tree has grown too. Hubby now has to hold little miss up so she can put the star, the sparkly pink star, on top.

I love seeing other people's Christmas trees too. There are some that are so beautifully styled with matching colours and decorations, that even change every year.

I started to think that maybe we were the only ones that had mis-matched decorations, some handmade with love and care, or picked up at a market by the beach. Until I read a post by the lovely Renee over at Mummy, Wife and Me, titled Memory Tree.

I thought, that is what we are creating too, a Memory Tree! So I decided to share some of the memories that we have added to our Christmas tree over the past five years.

Top left: A Santa bell from little misses Grandma that she found in a shop in Batemans Bay.
Top right: A red and green surfing koala from little misses Poppy. He bought this in Noosa because we follow South Sydney and little miss likes koalas.
Middle: An angel made by little miss at preschool this year.
Bottom left: The Christmas decoration made by little misses carers when she was in the baby room at daycare four years ago.
Bottom right: A guest gift from a wedding three years ago. The brides dad had made them and one each was given to the female guests, so you could use it as an earring, pop it in your window or on your Christmas tree.

Do you have a styled Christmas tree?

or a mis-matched tree?

or no tree?

Is it Christmas already?

Little Miss 4 and I hit the shops recently, only to be confronted with Christmas trees and reindeer....in October! Needless to say that she was beside herself with excitement.

We passed the Santa sleigh where the yearly photos are taken - mind you this is her fourth Christmas and we have zero Santa photos. Not that I can complain, I didn't go near him when I was little either.

Then came the multitude of questions - where is Santa? Why is his sleigh here if he is still at the North Pole? Where are the elves? Does Mrs Claus help Santa? Can we put up our Christmas tree now?

Nice one Westfield! I did contemplate giving Little Miss 4 your number so you can answer all her Christmas queries and explain that Christmas is still 7 weeks away and we can't put up the tree for another 4!

Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas! It is my favourite time of the year - spending time with friends and family, having time off work, great weather (mostly), cricket on the telly (yep I am a cricket fan)...I could go on.

No doubt if I asked my Mum what I was like at this time of year she would probably say similar to Little Miss 4 - actually I should remember to ask her. I probably drove her crazy with questions that she misses answering now.

I have to admit I didn't even notice the shopping centres getting out the decorations earlier and earlier every year.... until Little Miss 4 came along and become aware of Santa, reindeer, elves etc.

Today she wrote her letter to Santa asking for a "talking baby doll called Love Love Dolly" and "a floaty for the pool that has a water pistol" (this is something she saw at the pool shop with Hubby last week, apparently some thing you sit in that has a water pistol attached - for wetting Mummy!)

Looks like I will be living Christmas for the next 7 weeks, which I have decided to embrace because I am sure that I will miss it one day.

Has Christmas talk started in your house?


Image from here.