Holly Jolly Memories

For the holiday season I am asking my blog friends what is their favorite Christmas memory...this is Amanda Smith's memory.

"To this date I have had 19 Christmases. I can't remember a majority of them, just bits and pieces of different ones. The one Christmas I think I will always remember is the one of 2008, and not just because it is the most recent one, either. It was a notable one because it was the first Christmas in my new rebuilt house. We had no Christmas decorations anymore, the fire had claimed them all. Because of that, my mom decided to give me her Christmas village--which she had been collecting pieces for for years. I always admired it, she always set it up so nicely every year. Along with the village she also handed down some of her ornaments that she had had for years. I now think that all of those things will be family heir items. They were very special to her and are just as special to me. Also during this Christmas...my cousin Jeffrey, who is like a brother to me now, had moved into the house as well and loves decorating as much as I do. So we went out and bought as much stuff as we could with what little amount we had to spend. We were up all night decorating all of the living room, outside, and a little upstairs. What really made this Christmas memorable, at least for me, was that every Christmas I could remember, we had a fake tree. Since my dad knew how much I had wanted a real one, he went out and got one. The smell of fresh pine illuminated the whole Christmas aura of the house. Luckily this year, we have continued the new tradition of having a real tree."