After much discussion, we once again decided the theme for this year's tree would be "These are our ornaments, we hope you like them". We have a wide variety of ornaments from various origins. Some are from our parents' households, some are purchases, and some just showed up one day and are on the tree because they have always been. There are paper cranes and nutcrackers, a yellow submarine and wooden dinosaurs, native american woodcuts, Spider-Man and Superman, a zeppelin, a cable car, and a gardener's glove, along with all manner of glass orbs of various ages.It is topped by a star in which is set a dove.
I have no idea who made one of my favorite ornaments, visible on the left-hand side of the tree. It was made (I think) by one of my mother's students from when she was teaching grade school, and is a long white spindle of lacquered paper, with metal settings a a great blue glass gemstone on the front. I don't know who made it, and assume that whoever did has kids 9may grandkids)of their own now, but it always makes me smile when I put it on the tree.
The presentation is always based on physics - heavy stuff towards the bottom, paper and other unbreakables on the side that flanks the entranceway. nothing glass low enough where the cats can take a swat at it. Birds towards the top, cranes to cover up the spots where the lights are not. All in all, a very nice job (Kate put on the lights this year - I tend to bury them deeped in the foliage).
Oh, yes, that is Harlequin on the left of the tree, manifesting her new mutant ability of Cat-Vision, moments before making a lunge for one of the metal bells formed in the shape of an apple.
More later,