Ten Odd Things That Ended Up on the Tree

I was raised in a home where the ornaments were -- nearly all of them -- simple, round colored glass balls. They came in boxes with cardboard dividers and cellophane inserts in the lids. Some of the Shiny Brite brand had flocked designs of evergreen trees or reindeer. But generally, they were just . . . balls.

The first year I was married, my father-in-law got out boxes and boxes of Christmas ornaments that my husband's family had collected for decades. We got to take our choice. Suddenly I was faced with something that had no resemblance to the trees of my youth. And I liked it. It opened up endless possibilities. So here's a list of things that have ended up on the tree:

1. A lightbulb. Yes, a real lightbulb. My daughter's girl scout troop decorated them with sequins and trim. It's heavy and has to be hung near the trunk.
2. An angel made of pasta. You really have to thank those girl scouts. They always came up with a new idea each year.
3. A Santa made out of a shotgun shell. A gift to my husband, the skeet shooter.
4. A laminated construction-paper ornament with a picture of my son at age 6, before the beard and the ponytail.
5. A golf ball. One of my son's favorite teachers was a golf fanatic.
6. Glass ornaments shaped like a fish, a pipe, and a pickle. The fish came from Branson. The pipe was from my husband's youth. "It used to puff smoke . . . really!" And the pickle because, well, you have to have a pickle.
7. An ornament made out of an old CD. (Okay, I have to admit, that one only lasted a year, then it "mysteriously disappeared." I do have limits to the amount of tackiness I can tolerate.
8. A beautiful blown-glass horse that had always been a favorite ornament until one of the children accidentally broke it. I assured the child, "It can be fixed, just watch." But the only repair medium on hand was a hot glue gun. So there he is, lumpy and bloated with globs of hardened glue.
9. A pacifier. My eldest daughter was pretty much addicted to them, and when I finally broke her habit, I saved the last one for an ornament. Sentimental, I know. And it was, until the dog chewed it up.
10. And yes, as many round, colored glass balls as I can fit on the tree. After all, there's room for my traditions, too.