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| "How's this pose, Mom?" "Hey ... isn't this a 'no Santa hats zone'?" "Perfect, Cam. And no, but nice try, Mags." |
OK. So ... you all know Mom is a proud Army wife and Army brat, right? Both our dad and her dad were in the Army for many years! Anyway, back in the mid-1800s, that could have been before Mom's time, but I'm not quite sure, the Army wives out here on the frontier didn't have many things they could decorate their tree with! One of their customs was to loop pretty ribbons through the shanks of the brass buttons the men wore on their uniforms and tie them to their Christmas trees!! (I'm assuming this would be spare buttons, or they would have had some mighty cold soldiers, what with how the wind comes ripping down the prairie and all ... but I digress!). Mom loves that tradition and continues it today!
Here is one of Dad's old uniform buttons:
And here's one of Mom's dad's buttons - from the uniform he wore as a West Point cadet!
Mighty special, both of them!
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| "I love these ornaments! And the whole tree! ... and the treats Mom is holding ..." "Me, too. My hat's slipping. Isn't that a cryin' shame?" |
One year, Mom made a bunch of these ornaments:
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| Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) tree ornament |
They are made from one of Dad's old uniforms, some twine, and batting that looks like SNOW! Those ornaments represent all of our men and women serving in our nation's military, stationed all over the world.
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| "We ❤❤ the members of our military!!" "AMEN, Cam. AMEN!" |
Oh. Right. Hat fell off there at the end. Too bad, huh? Yeah. I wore it as a bandana. Good enough, right?!?
We hope you enjoyed hearing a bit more about our Patriotic Tree! Please remember to say a prayer for those serving in our nation's military -- especially those who are overseas at Christmas!
Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher
Our hearts swell with proud as we read your post and looked at your beautiful decorations.
ReplyDeleteMy GrandPa was in the Army during the Korean War. He was very proud of his service and we were very proud of him.
Hugs madi your bfff
Our dad was in the Coast Guard. Since we live near an air force base we know lots and lots of people in the military. Maybe we will steal their buttons BOL! Very cool tree and thanks for your dad's service!
ReplyDeleteYour Pals,
Murphy & Stanley
Your patriotic tree is so beautiful and so special and so meaningful! Bless your dad and your mom's dad. We keep all of the military in our thoughts and prayers!
ReplyDeleteWe love your patriotic tree! Mom's brother was a Marine and granddaughter is in the Air Force!
ReplyDeletehugs
Hazel & Mabel
We love your Patriotic Tree gals...and always love hearing more about it!
ReplyDeleteThanks to your Dad and Grand Dad for their service!
xoxo,
Jakey, Arty & Rosy
My momma loves this tree too. She loves hearing about all the things on it. Praying for all those who serve and have served.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Buddy
Oh gurls, I just LOOOOOVES your tree!!! And I loves all the traditions that go into it! Those ornaments are FABulous!
ReplyDeleteOh, and I loves your hats...especially at the end...heheheheee
Kisses,
Ruby ♥
Huh, such a shame that your hat fell right off, Mags! Maybe you could try again? BOL! Grreat tree.
ReplyDeleteWe love seeing all your trees. The patriotic one is very special.
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful memories on a very special tree.
ReplyDeleteThat is so interesting about the history of the buttons! It is a beautiful and meaningful tree...thanks for sharing it with us!
ReplyDeleteKiki and Nala
You you, you may have discovered a new fashion trend there with the slipped Santa hat bandana! Love your patriotic tree! What a wonderful idea and tribute having the uniform buttons as part of it.
ReplyDeleteWe adore your Patriotic Christmas Tree! The buttons and handcrafted ornaments are so lovely and heartwarming. How wonderful to all be incorporated into the Christmas Tree. Thank you for sharing with us!
ReplyDeleteLove and Hugs
Addie, Lucie and Hailey