Our Family Ornament

I am a Christmas person.  Some people are, and some people are not.  You know who you are.  I have accepted this about myself. Thankfully, I married another Christmas person.  I love the music, the spirit, the lights, the shopping, wrapping gifts, cooking special things for special people, the crisp cold (or cool in Texas) weather, friends, family, camaraderie and mostly the Reason for the Season. 

The birth of our savior Jesus Christ.  What an amazing reason to celebrate. 

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

We have a little family tradition from the Arnold family.  Every year we get a new Christmas ornament.  My Mom would get my brother and I one every year,  my Arnold grandparents would also get each of us one (and Leah, don't wanna leave out the super cousin:)  My Mom would always select something for us based off what we were liking that year or just special ones when we were younger.  My Grandma Arnold typically got each of us a German hand blown ornament.  I love how those delicate tiny little ornaments can remind me so much of my heritage and the strongest most amazing little 81 year old lady on the planet.  I hit the jackpot with my two sets of grandparents.

Back on topic. I digress. A LOT!

That is a little shot at the ornament that started my collection.  Its my favorite one to hang every year.

So when I moved away from home my Momma let me pick out all of my ornaments and take them right along with me. I had my own tree with my own ornaments all through college, pre-marriage, and now. Come to find out The Hub had his own collection. His Dad and Mom had done the same thing. So The Hub and I have a big lot of ornaments that are each special to us and we are doing the same thing for our Little Man. This year he got a little nutbrown hare ornament. If you know who that is,  you know it says "I love you right up to the moon, and back".

We decided to make a family ornament. I had an idea from something else I had seen. I had all the supplies on hand. So we got busy with some hands and some paint. Ill give you the story through pictures.

So we used green paint for Dad who went first, then red for Mom who went second, then silvery white for the Little Man who went last.  I then paint penned 2011 in the middle of his little hand print.  It was an interesting little experiment.  We had fun together as a family.  Especially trying to get the 1 year old to participate at all or not so much:)  You understand, right!

I had this idea of three layered hand prints.  Big one from Dad, Smaller from Mom, and tiny from the little guy.  It didn't come out perfect as you can tell.  I am a bit Type A, maybe, but I told Craig I had this idea of what it should look like.... Our looks not much like that at all... The big hands didn't press well.  The palms were at the bottom because of our big hands.  The little guy hand print is squishy and not very realistic.  

Then I started thinking:  It was cute... We had fun... Who cares if its perfect.  We certainly are not.  Far from it... Just like our Christmas ornament.  

So I love our family ornament... Ill love putting it on the tree for years to come and remember the moment in all its imperfection.

Love,

The Mom