oh ho ho! week fiiiiive.

Week Five? Yikes! That means we are inching careening closer and closer to the big day–Christmas! So, it’s time for another fun contest-giveaway-thingie! And this one has to do with decorating!

I know some of you had your Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving. Some of us (like my parents) will get theirs up on Christmas Eve. We got ours up this week and I love it! I don’t think anyone’s tree is as ever as beautiful as ours. The ornaments are some we’ve collected throughout our marriage–almost everyone represents something special to us. This is only the 2nd tree we’ve had in our almost 10 years of marriage. For our first few years, we lived in apartments. We’ve been about to move to a new location several Christmas seasons, a tree was just not worth it. So, it has always been special to have my mini tree.

When I was 15 my mom bought me and my brother our very own miniature trees. Every year she would buy us a new miniature ornament to decorate it. My brother and I always looked forward to rushing to Hallmark each season to see the new ornament in our little series. (I’ve got bells, the bear family, snowmen and hearts. Jason got stuff like tractors and cars!) The idea was that we would take it with us when we went to college, got our own apartment or got married. And that’s just what we’ve done! To see that little tree in our first apartment was a piece of home! Each little ornament is a little piece of a Christmas past that I can hold in my hand!

I finally bought my husband a mini tree and started a mini ornament collection for him. (For some reason I started a Snoopy series for him and it is just never ending! His whole tree is covered in Snoopy! When will it end?!) For Lydia’s first Christmas I bought her a little tree and covered it with mini ornaments. This year we put up a new ornament on Lydia’s tree and she is so proud of her “baby Ki-mas” tree.

I love to see our little Christmas trees lit up around the house. Our big tree is special, but I like the personal touch my little tree has. I hope Lydia will feel the same way about hers!

Hallmark has discontinued their series of miniature ornaments. (Which I am very upset about if anyone from Hallmark is listening!!!) So, instead of new mini ornament in a series, they introduce an entire series of six per year. That doesn’t work well for us, who wants 6 new ornaments on a mini tree every year? But whatever. I don’t work for Hallmark like I should. Mama was talking about buying one of those series and giving each of us an ornament from it. Or we’ll have to start scouring the stores for another mini ornament. Either way, we love our mini tree tradition!

Now, onto the prize! I’m giving away a $20 gift card to Hallmark. That is exactly how much a set of mini-ornaments cost from Hallmark. Or if you need to get a giant Hallmark ornament, you can do that, too!

To be entered to win, we’re doing a photo tag! All you have to do is take a picture of your favorite ornament and post it on your very own blog. and Then link back to that post (not your whole blog, just that post) in the Mr. Linky below. If you’d like to tell us why you love it or what it means, feel free. If not, just make sure you link back to oh! ho! ho! so everyone can share in the ornament-linky-love! And tag your friends, too! I love Christmas ornaments! I’ll announce the winner this Friday.

(I’ll share my ornament in another post. This post is already as long as…well, Christmas.)

CONGRATS TO OUR WINNER—LEIGH!