I took pictures of our Christmas tree when guests came over today. I’m proud that we didn’t spend a lot for our tree and instead, relied on creativity, perseverance (I still sport glue gun burns), and a lot of manual work to create something new out of something old. We used old (but precious) decorations, recycled worn garlands into strings of bling-blings, and transformed my Hello Kitty keychain collection to new ornaments.

The tree is almost twelve years old and truthfully, I was itching to get a new one. But A reminded me how much the tree meant to us when we first bought it. Alex was then barely two; he would coo and sing carols whenever he saw a decorated tree. The year before that, we were able to borrow my mother-in-law’s plastic tree which she had left in storage when the rest of the family moved to the US. That year, however, A and I decided to create new memories with our very own tree, decorated with handmade plaster and paper decorations Alex and I made.

And so, the tree stayed. The opportunity to reinvent an aging tree turned out to be a Christmas journey by itself. Here are some pictures taken up close. 

The beautiful Christmas ball ornaments are handmade productions of our friend Bambi. Her mom, who happened to be our ninang (godmother), would proudly present us a few each year as early Christmas presents. The year before Ninang passed away, she sent us a whole box and I was so giddy with happiness. These ornaments occupy a place of honor in our tree.

To complete the Kitty motif in our home, I threw in some pieces from my Kitty collection: a wreath, some snow Kitties, a miniature pink tree, and small plushes.

Where Christmas last year was drowned by our cries of sorrow, this year, it is a season of celebration. That we survived this year and its unhappy beginning is but for the grace and love of a merciful Creator. Our family has weathered many challenges this year. In God’s hands, we are scathed but unbowed.