[HairOfTheDog]

We were buying small live trees for awhile...We started running out of places where a future big tree could go at the beach house! My mother's ornaments are tiny little neat things... and look best on a small scale tree.

I have relaxed so that my dad's lady friend can use her ornaments and we can get a big tree. She has beautiful stuff she was afraid to use at first because I was a bit unpredictable about nostalgia and memories the first few years. It began to be painfully obvious that everyone was walking on eggshells about Hair's ornaments and Hair's emotional health. I snapped out of it and I have spent the last couple years trying to convince them to stop worrying about me... We have a new Christmas now and I am OK with that!

[SuziQ]

Have you thought about getting a little tree for your place and putting your Mom's ornaments on it? Dare I suggest, maybe even a little fake tree? It would bring back great memories of her, and your family will still have their big tree with the new ornaments on it for the larger family gathering.

[Corin Stormhands]

We have a new Christmas now and I am OK with that!

I understand that. My dad died when I was in college. When I came home after a very rough fall quarter (we had an extended Christmas break - five weeks), I just needed to rest. Then I find out my aunt (dad's sister) had decided it was too much trouble for the family to eat together on Christmas day and that we'd just have a dinner at a community center on Christmas Eve.

I threw a fit and my mom hosted the family at our house. It's my last really good Christmas memory with my dad's extended family.