a tradition

This year's theme: The 12 Days of Christmas

It is now a tradition. I can think of a million other traditions I would rather have involving our Lucy, birthday-party sleepovers, matching swimming suits with Tessa, crazy cousin games at Nanny & PopPop's house.


All of those traditions would mean we would still have our girl. It struck me today, as we decorated Lucy's 8th tree for the Festival of Trees, we would not have one of our most treasured holiday traditions if we still had her.


I do dearly love the festival, but I would trade it all to have that beautiful child here. Every single tree, every single scone, every single speck of glitter.

Oh, I miss my sister's daughter.

Lucy's 7th tree

Last week was the Festival of Trees. A favorite time. We made Lucy's 7th tree. We laughed. We got choked up. We remembered.

O Christmas Tree

a christmas cup of tea

Just a few pictures from decorating day ...

The Festival of Trees runs from today through Saturday at the South Towne Expo Center. Tickets can be purchased at Zions Bank for a discount or at the door. Come see Lucy's tree! (Aisle A; space 4 - right next to the Coca-Cola tree)

decorating day

"The Season to be Jolly" tree, 2008

Tomorrow is decorating day for The Festival of Trees. I expect to spend the day wiring, gluing, hanging, laughing, crying and eating scones at the South Towne Expo Center as we prepare Lucy's 6th tree. Thank you to all who donated!

The Festival runs from Wednesday, December 2nd through Saturday December 5th. If you are in the Salt Lake City area during that time, go! You won't regret it. It's an amazing cause and the trees, wreaths, gingerbread houses, etc, etc, are equally amazing. Lucy's tree will be on aisle A, tree space 4.

(P.S. All, all, absolutely ALL of the money raised goes to help sick kids and their families, and what's more, everything there is donated!)

festival pictures

some pictures from the Festival of Trees:

Our tree: The Season to be Jolly
A tree covered in Santa's, what could be more fun than that?

**
The amazing glass tree - there was a video showing how it was made. It was absolutely spectacular. The lights were set to music.

**WARNING TO SARAH: do not look further!**

a fabulous door hanger:

Another Tree

Another tree for Lucy. And, sadly, I forgot my camera. However, after I left I noticed an ornament in my pocket that I forgot to put on the tree, so I will show you a picture of that. (at potentially great personal risk, I might add, because I didn't mean to steal this and now that I've published it on my blog, my little sister will know!)

And one of my sweatshirt with this year's pin (the red one) and one from another year (I should have written the years on the backs, but, of course, I didn't). I did not remember where the other pins were off-hand this morning, but I doubt they'd be too hard to find. I only have three jewelry boxes and one push-pin board (the green one had been acting as a very fancy thumb tack. I like that use for them). I have five pins now - one for each year of decorating for Lucy. Sweet Lucy.


A short description of decorating day that I originally posted on my family's website (names changed to protect the innocent and the not-so-innocent.):

...there is a lot of wire (must wire EVERYTHING! And then wire some more!), lots of decorations, lots of laughing, some scones, some cold air when they open the bay doors, usually a baby or two (yay Baby L! he had his turn today), lots of ribbon, lots of wishing we'd brought this, that, or the other thing (tables, sharpie, etc), and some tears. It's magic. And every year is the best. Like Anchely said of our annual contributions - every tree is my favorite!


in case you were hoping to see a photo of a tree, I'll post one from last year to tide us over until I can take one of the current tree when we go to The Festival of Trees to watch Mikay & her dance class perform.