Festival Of Trees 2010

The Festival of Trees is by far my favorite Christmas traditon. My family has been able to secure tickets for the last couple of years, and have enjoyed going and looking at all the amazing trees and fancy people. This year for the festival, however, we thought we'd try something a little different.....

As most of you have probably heard, our family has suffered two great losses in the last couple of years; my Grandma Little passed away in November 2008, and my Uncle David passed away in January 2010. Instead of just attending the festival this year, we thought we would donate two trees, one each dedicated in memory of my Grandmother and my Uncle.

Our family and extended family put a lot of heart and soul into making our two trees great. When all was said and done, the trees turned out to be accurate portrayals of our loved ones, decorated with things that reminded us of them. The whole while we were spending time together and decorating, it felt like Grandma and Uncle David were there with us (Atleast it did to me). It was a very emotional experience, but one that I'm sure we will never forget.

Uncle David's tree was called "The Good Life," and had a Harley Davidson/Motorcycle theme. His sons, Robert and Kevin, bought a lot of great things for the tree and spent more time than any of us putting it together and making sure it looked ok. They did a fantastic job! Some of the things included with the tree were motorcycle toys, a leather jacket and chaps, a "Luke" dog wearing a Harley Davidson bandana, two Harledy Davidson bar stools, a Harley Davidson rug.... whew, too many things to list!

Grandma Little's tree was called "My Favorite Things,"and no, it wasn't based on the song. The tree was filled with cooking, sewing and family, all of the things that were Grandma's "favorites." The tree included sewing kits, a nativity set, mixing bowls and cooking utensils, tickets to hale center theater, tickets to Megaplex, a beautiful quilt (made by my Aunt Dana), an entryway table, and many cute signs and decorations.

Even if my family gets tired of it, I think I'm personally going to try and keep this tradition going. Christmas is the most spiritual, most magical time of year, and what better way to spend it then by remembering those that are gone? Merry Christmas!