Decorating our tree is so special for us each year as we are able to enjoy the little things that bring back memories or hold dear places in our hearts.  Looking at the little ornament we bought in Gatlinburg on our honeymoon 19 years ago and I’m immediately reminded how broke Audley & I were as newlyweds, yet how special that first Christmas was to us.  Then there is the little sterling silver bear that was a gift to MacKenzie her very first Christmas … ah, she was so much fun that year as a little 6 month old!  Madeline has a collection of Hallmark Barbie ornaments that represent her elementary years before she outgrew Barbie, while Bradley has porcelain John Deere tractor ornaments to represent his love of tractors when he was a tike. And some of my favorites are the engraved brass ornaments given to me each year by my great-aunt and uncle who have now both passed on.  They never had children of their own and were always so good to us growing up.

 Little things like that are what makes pulling out the boxes of tinsel and garland so special.

Another part of decorating for Christmas that is so special is the pulling out of my Mark Robert’s fairy collection.

For the last several years Audley has purchased a whimsical little guy to add a bit of festive cheer to our home.  These charming Mark Robert’s  fairies adorn the tree, the garland and have even made an appearance or two on our wreaths.

With their color and variety of themes, everyone has fairy to fit their personality as well as the personalities in our house!

I love how they just blend with our Christmas decor no matter what the theme!

And they even seem to match the silliness and spirit of the season that encompasses our house over the holiday season.

After losing 6 of our fairies in a move several years ago, these are even more treasured as each year passes. We have collected them while living in Iowa, Alabama, Georgia and now South Carolina!

The fun of collecting these sweet little fairies is that Mark Roberts releases several in a collection every year, so you can always find one to fit the occasion.  Audley generally picks out our fairy every time, so I can’t wait to see what he choses this weekend when we plan to pick up our 2014 edition.

Do you have treasured Christmas collections?

I would love to hear about them, or hop over to my Facebook page and share a photo!

Until next time,