Day 24 of the Online Advent Calendar 🎄

Welcome to day...

I hope you have been following along with Jo @Serendipitous Stitching's Online Advent Calendar this year, with so many wonderful posts full of lovely stitching, tree photos, and stories from other stitchers. I've joined in since the beginning and have enjoyed every year!

Our question this year is about our Christmas tree, the traditions, ornaments, and whether we use a Star or Angel on top.

As you can see (sort of) we have an Angel on our trees. Although we've talked about replacing this one because we're not keen on it flashing and would like a change. And is she actually an Angel if she's really Mary holding baby Jesus?

Since we've been in the "new" house, we've finally been able to have a large tree, I think this might be our biggest one yet.

This one is in our basement, it's an artificial one and very simple. I used to put all handmade ornaments on it, but now it has our family names on it as well as lots of the White House ornaments that come out yearly.

This is where all the stitched ones are now, included mine, gifts from friends, and exchange pieces. It's normally in my craft room window, but this year it's sort of just hanging around.

The photos of all these trees were taken while Cori and I were in Pennsylvania earlier this week. They are all so beautifully decorated, even the gingerbread trees. It's alway fun to see the whisk tree in the kitchen shop. 

This was taken earlier this month during Midnight Madness in Ellicott City. 

Looks like a live tree to me with a star on top!

A few Christmas stitching pieces.

My most recent finish, although it's not fully finished yet. I made this for my Momma, she'll probably put it her room year round.

Just for fun, I'm going to the wayback machine to show more Christmas trees through the years.

This is my Momma on Christmas Eve, 1959, at Black Notley Hospital after walking about seven miles from Coggeshall with her beloved Christmas tree. Nothing was stopping her getting a tree!

My parents tree in 1960, "We couldn't afford a Christmas tree having just moved into the bungalow that summer but my cousin decided to remedy that with a bread knife, scaling the fence of H.M. Forestry and brought back this beauty! Ulrike was living in dread we would be raided by the police!"

This was our first Christmas in the states, 1969, in Virginia. That bike wasn't mine (I was two), it my was big brother's. I'm hoping it was really a red bike because it looks pink to me!

This was after we moved to our house in Maryland, I was four years old. The ornament I'm holding was made by a neighbour there, and I think they still have it.

My goodness, they really liked adding all that tinsel!

This sweet tree was in my Momma's chapel years ago, probably the first live one they've had since moving here. This one has actual candles on it like she used to have growing up in Germany.

I will leave you with Mary's Sampler from Plum Street Sampler.

May the love of Christ and the warmth that comes with this holy season remain with you and make your holidays the best ever. Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and a special thank you to Jo for once again putting together this year's Advent Calendar and those who participated in it.