Tuesday's Tip

As you are putting away ornaments, take time to really organize them. I have a large plastic box for each child's ornaments. It is labeled with their name and birth year. As they make new ornaments or are given new ornaments as gifts, I add them to their box. I have the memory of an elephant. I remember things that aren't even important. Until the year my father-in-law died, I could tell you the story behind every ornament all SEVEN of us own. I remembered that my friend, Margaret, gave each triplet a precious VW Bug ornament in their favorite color when they were babies. I remembered the crosses ML gave each child. We decorated with Christmas cards on our tree last year, so we didn't visit with our ornaments. I was shocked to see so many ornaments that I could not remember the giver or the story. Imagine my relief when I saw ornament boxes with "To Hurricane on her 2nd birthday from her godparents" and other sentiments such as that. Some of the ornaments had the to and from and the year on them. All of this explaining is to encourage you to buy a new Sharpie marker and label away. Label the individual ornaments or their boxes so that you and your family will remember their origin for years to come. Happy 2010!