Boxes Full of Memories

We got up early this morning and started decorating the tree while we had our coffee.  It takes a while for us because it seems like each ornament holds a memory so we have to stop, look at it and reminisce.  When we first got married we started buying an ornament on every trip or vacation we took.  We have quite a slew of them now. A couple of years ago, Frank counted all the ornaments as we removed them and we had 473.  We must be up to almost 500 by now.

This year we went to Florida to spend time with Nic and Pierre.  While we were there we went to Shell City and I picked up this ornament for our tree.

 

We also went to Portsmouth, VA to spend time with Chuck.  While there we went to the Portsmouth Navel Shipyard Museum and picked up this ornament.

 

 

We have ornaments from all over the United States as well as from all of our dive locations. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have ornaments that the kids made as youngsters

 

 

Nicole

 

 

Chuck

 

 

Nicole

 

 

 

Amy

 

 

Tony

 

 

My sister Dawn made this for my first Christmas tree.

She was 9 or 10 years old.

 

We have vintage ornaments that belonged to my folks and that I put on the tree as a kid.

 

 

 

 

Frank was working one afternoon and while on patrol he drove through a school lot.

There was a young boy there named Jeremy of Boy Scout Troop #198 who was just coming out from his meeting.

Frank stopped to wish him a Merry Christmas and Jeremy introduced himself gave Frank this ornament that he had just made.

Frank gets tears in his eyes every year when he hangs this ornament

 

 

Tony knowing how important this ornament was to Frank made this one for him 10 yrs. later

 

 

And Finally here is our tree in all it's splendor

 

 

I am linking up with Nesting Place for the 2013 Christmas Tour of Homes.