I squeeze a lot of ornaments onto my tree. I’ve even occasionally called it cluttered. But I think it’s also a happy tree. Most of the ornaments have some personal meaning for me and/or my family. Some of them are heirlooms, having been handed down from my husband’s grandmother or my parents. Many are hand-made—by myself, my late mother, relatives, and particularly grandchildren. Actually, there are a lot of grandchildren-made ornaments on my tree. They’re some of the most special ones.

Here are a few of my special ones:

Made by one of my grandsons!

I made this one, probably 15 years ago.

Made by my mother.

Artwork by one of my grandsons

I made this one. The crystal at the bottom is from a chandelier that hung in the dining room of our house when we bought it. It was a beautiful chandelier but had seen better days and was replaced.

This one came from Lele, my husband’s grandmother.

The jeweled dragon on my tree.