some of my favorite tree ornaments || vancouver photographer

yesterday we made christmas come alive at our place. with the tree all trimmed and christmas through out the house, i decided i would take some photos of some of my favorite decorations for the tree.

our tree decorations are not what you find on those "perfect" trees at holt or in martha stewart.. no our tree is full of memories. i have decorations on there all the way from when i was a kid to just this year. its a heinz 57 sort of tree.

and we love it.

one thing that my mom started for our kids was buying them a decoration every year. i figured this was such a gosh darn great idea that i would do it too. so that one day (sniff sniff) when they have their own christmas tree, they'll have a few ornaments to start off with. :)

here's the photos with a little blurb about them and why i love them so.. enjoy. xo

my friend kerri, who i was roommates with before lover and i married, made this for me..you may remember her from the germany wedding i shot last year.. :)


ah yes..our first christmas together.. 14 of 'em.. :) not including the 2 when we were dating.. :)



these are some of the "old" ornaments i have on my tree from when i was a kid.. i remember my mom making the clothes pin nut cracker guys for a craft show..and croqueting the snowflakes..they are a ton of them draping my tree still.. :)


if you have visited our home, we have "words" up on our walls.. the power of words, i think, sometimes goes unsaid..so we have words on our tree..lots of 'em.. :)


mr snowman.. i just love him..he's so cheerful..i bought him one winter when i worked at a..wait for it, wait for it... christmas store in SK called, "santa's cellar".. not gonna lie..spent most of my paychecks on decors and gifts!!


capiz shells..we lived 6 of our married years in the philippines (the kids were born there too!) and so of COURSE i have capiz christmas decorations.. :)


when mr man caleb was little he made this start at preschool..i still hang up the kids preschool christmas art all over every year.. they love it. i do too..oh how they grow up soooo fast... *sigh*


this is one of rosie's "yearly" decorations.. so very sweet..


my newest decoration on the tree.. my friend erin g, who i have been shooting with this year, presented it to me 2 weekends ago..i collect pretty tea cups. and she found a tea cup decoration. how cool is that? :)



ya...my kids very first christmas decorations.. ok, cue "tears"... ;)


my BFF erin, who got married and moved away to victoria, gave us both one last year.. to remember always.. xo


we have a HARDCORE section of just santa decors. lover LOVES santa ones..the kids each decorate the tree but lover is the one who places "his" santa decors on.. :)


and a capiz to top our tree.. it's a lovely no?

happy holidays begin, this monday morning at our house.. :)