Journey Through Christmases Past - A Family in Transition

 

Welcome to our newest feature, Journey through Christmases Past. This series is a nostalgic celebration of the holidays we all remember...

• The history and traditions of the holiday.
• The décor that filled our homes.
• The toys that defined each decade.
• The television and movie shows that brightened the season.
• The outfits we adored (and the ones we definitely didn’t).

Along the way, I’ll sprinkle in a few of my own Christmas memories. So settle in with a cup of your favorite hot beverage and join me on a journey through Christmases past.

Happy Sunday! I'm writing to you late today because work has been consuming my time lately. It is all good. I am blessed. 

How are you doing on your holiday preparations task list? You can find the 2025 list here. Christmas is only 207 days away, and it always creeps up on us before we know it. 

Life transitions have been on my mind a lot lately. I've gotten to a place in life where I watch parents trying to grocery shop, eat out, or do other tasks that are so much easier without little ones in tow. You can see the exhaustion--and sometimes frustration--on their faces. It makes me feel wistful over the days that passed so quickly with our own children. 

This week, I'm sharing some family memories from the years gone by.

Sister friends

Christmas parties

Our little dancers

Carving the turkey

Our oldest

Siblings and our daughter-in-law

Husband and the nephew

Our girls

Father, son (my husband), and grandson (our nephew)

Sisters and friends

The grandparents (my in-laws)

Decorating the tree 

Son, daughter-in-law, nephew

Our pretty girls

The family at the Christmas bazaar

Our son the goofball

Christmas at the brother-in-law's

Christmas 2021 horsing around

Our baby and the family's baby (our nephew)

Our son and his girlfriend

Our girls

Our baby and me

Our girls and their feline children

Son-in-law, the girls, and our nephew (tallest of the family)

Theo chilling after Christmas dinner

Hope you've enjoyed a glimpse into some of our past Christmases. The 2020s have brought about a lot of changes:

• Loss of my father-in-law (2020)
• Loss of our daughter-in-law (2022)
• Loss of my mother-in-law (2023)
• Loss of our cat Giggles (2025)
• Our oldest daughter got married and moved into her own house (2025)
• Loss of our cat Boots (2026)
• Our youngest graduated from college and is planning a move to her new job out of state (2026)

Gone are the days of a house filled with laughter, chaos, and the patter of little feet. We have gone from a house of five furry ones to a house of three. As we hope a new generation of family--and maybe furry beasts--will one day grace this home, we look fondly upon those days of raising kids and are proud of the adults they have become. 

Evolution of Our Christmas Tree

I thought it would be neat to share what our Christmas tree has looked like through the years. We didn't have a digital camera until 2003, so from 1999 - 2002 is missing. We bought a new tree last year, so not sure what the plan is yet.

2003 - 2011 (Living room)

2012 (No ribbon/garland and move to the family room)

2014 (Ribbon is back)

2015 (Ribbon gone again)

2016 - 2017 (Two sets of ribbons)

2018 (New color ribbons)

2019 - 2021 (Ribbons gone again)

Last year for this tree

This tree has always held our most precious ornaments: the ones that used to hang in Aunt Jean and Uncle Phil's home until they passed, ones that used to hang in my apartment before I married my husband, the gifts from family and friends, the treasures our children made at school, and the personalized ones we bought for the kids. 

Proving I am only mildly sentimental, I had little problem tossing the tree that was older than both of our girls. We bought it at Walmart when we moved into the house two weeks before Christmas in 1999. Since that time, we have welcomed nine cats into our home, having lost five of them already. We have also welcomed our dog. In the 24 Christmases we have celebrated in our home, we have entertained many friends and loved ones, some of which have left this earthy life. Luckily, we know the hope that was born on that first Christmas night burns brightly thanks to the Resurrection, and we will seem them all again one day. 

I'm not sure how the new tree will look, though I'm sure my decorating ability won't improve. Thankfully, I've learned to be happy for the memories and not be so caught up in creating perfection. 

What are some of your favorite ornaments? Do you use ribbon or garland? Is your tree topper an angel, a star, or something else?