Decorating Grandma's Tree

We went over to Grandma's house this evening to have dinner and decorate the Christmas tree - a long standing tradition in our family. Decorating the tree has always been a special family event. My mom collects Hallmark ornaments, and they all have a special meaning. She bought the ornaments through the years that appealed most to me and my dad. They all reflect an interest or hobby or memory. As we hang each one on the tree, it reminds us of something in our past. Now that I have a daughter of my own, it's very special to share the tradition with her.

As a child, ET was one of my favorite movies. It was also one of the first movies that I ever saw in a theater. When mom pulled out the ET ornament, she asked Elise who it was. She replied, "A grasshopper in a shopping cart." To fully appreciate her response, you need to see a picture of the ornament in question:

Once we stopped laughing, Jamie and I sighed and said to one another that we must be officially OLD!

We are planning to take Elise to attempt to sit on Santa's lap this Wednesday night, and we have been trying to feel her out to see if that is going to go over well this year or not. Jamie asked her again today if she was going to sit on Santa's lap and she said, "No, I am too busy!" We got a good laugh out of that as well. Later she said that she would go sit on his lap after all. I guess we'll see what happens when we get there. I think there's at least a 50/50 chance that she will be afraid of him and refuse.

Here are a few pictures of Elise hanging ornaments on Grandma's tree. I turned the flash off tonight in order to try to bring out the lights on the tree. As a result they are a little bit dark and blurry, but if I turn on the flash they are completely washed out. So this is as good as it gets!