Our den tree has a collection of special ornaments. Most are gifts from students, while others are from my childhood. Here's an example of the latter.
I used to wear these red slippers, but now display them on the tree. See the silver bells on the ends of the ties?
My grandmother made them for me when I was four years old and the bells are for good reason. Like all children, I was very excited for Christmas morning to arrive and so when I went to bed on Christmas Eve, I slept lightly. Positive that I had heard Santa by our tree in the middle of the night, I slipped out of bed to investigate. Maybe I could meet him in person! Rather than finding Santa, though, I found my parents who were putting finishing touches on things for the following morning. We all went to bed to allow Santa plenty of time to come to our home. After the season, my grandmother kindly knitted her granddaughters these slippers for future Christmases. In addition to being a festive touch, the little bells were good "alarms" to alert parents that their daughters were not asleep!
Don't you enjoy the childhood stories that come to mind this season of the year?!
Happy Christmas week!
Happy Christmas week!