Christmas ornaments

The Bishops have their 2010 ornaments!  We all ordered them online this year.  For those of you who are new to me and/or my blog, every year Kris, me, and the kids each buy a new ornament.  The only ornaments that go on our tree are those ornaments that we have collected over the years (some exceptions are made, barely).  We like our ornaments to represent who we are as individuals and it is something that all of us look forward to.  When my kids move out, my thought is to give them all of their ornaments from throughout the years so that when they get their first Christmas tree, they can fill it with all of the memories, if they choose.  When Kris and I started out, we were very young and very broke.  We barely had money for a tree, let alone money for lights and ornaments.  So, we each got one ornament that meant something to us and came up with this idea to fill our tree one year at a time.  Let me tell you, a really quick way to fill up a Christmas tree is to have four kids.  Now, I didn't say it was a SMART idea...but it is what we came up with!  And it has become my FAVORITE Christmas tradition.

If you don't know me, you may not know that I have, in recent years, developed some obsessive compulsive habits.  Some of the things I am going to tell you may shock you.  They may leave you thinking that I am a horrible mother.  I don't really care.  If I did, I wouldn't share it here for the whole world to stumble upon.

I'm really mean.  I don't like having ornaments on my tree that aren't a part of our "tradition".  No.  That's not true.  I don't just dislike it.  It drives me crazy!!!  I have to really talk myself into letting the kids put their "homemade" ornaments on the tree.  I even get a little irritated when they make new ones at school, because I know these kids will want to display their lovely creations all over my perfect tree, with its perfectly placed perfect ornaments.  So, I found a way to handle the anxiety that goes along with this. Want to hear it?

I make the kids put all of their non-tradition ornaments in the back of the tree, where I can't see them.  

DON'T JUDGE ME!

Also, this year I learned how to relax a little.  At least, as far as the ornament placement goes.  I've actually let the kids put their ornaments on themselves!  Can you believe it?  It helps that our tree is larger this year.  And, to the shock of everyone, especially me, I only made them move a few.  Kris put his LOTR figures WAY too close together, so I had to move Frodo, and the dancing Barbies were too close, but overall, the kids have done well.  They are learning how to deal with me...poor kids!!!  Poor Kris!!!

So, without further ado, here are this year's ornament selections:

Kaleb - this was a good memory for Kaleb since Kris and I took him on a date to see Despicable Me.  Great movie too!

Abbey - she wanted an angel but it sold out and so she fell in love with this one!  I love her heart!

Me - I love giraffes...

 Olivia - one of her earlier ornaments was a dog that appeared to be running.  She loved this one and currently has both of her dog ornaments close to one another.  She may or may not have been one of the ones who originally put her ornaments too close together.  ;-)

Kris - Starship Enterprise...or something like that...because he's into Star Trek D&D currently, and because no one makes Michael Jordan ornaments (idiots!), and because he couldn't think of anything else he currently liked.

Katherine - she likes snowmen and penguins.  Seemed like a perfect fit to her!