Sunday, December 18, 2016

A Christmas Tree In Celebration of Our Silver Wedding Anniversary

Chronica Domus
Photo: Chronica Domus

Earlier this year, my darling husband and I celebrated the momentous and joyous occasion of our silver wedding anniversary, marking twenty-five years of wedlock.  We met when I first visited San Francisco as a tourist on the penultimate day of  my holiday away from London.  It was the autumn of 1990.  I like to tell people that I met my husband on my way to jail.  You see, we met on the ferry boat that transports passengers to Alcatraz, the famous prison built on an island in the middle of the San Francisco Bay. The boat ride across the water was a short one, but it was one that changed my life for the better.

In keeping with matrimonial tradition, all things silver have been at the forefront of my mind this year, including the decoration of our ivory-colored goose feather tree.  I thought it would be a fun and fitting tribute to decorate it with my collection of vintage silver and ivory hued glass ornaments.

Chronica Domus
Photo: Chronica Domus


It was fun to rummage through my ornament boxes searching for just the right examples to hang upon the feathery boughs.  I sort my ornaments by color, allotting a box or two to each hue.  I also take the additional measure of individually wrapping each fragile bauble in tissue paper.  One hopes that by doing so it will help to keep them intact. As I sat on the floor amid the hilly mounds of crumpled tissue paper, intently focused on the task at hand, my husband happened to walk by.  "That looks like quite a challenge" he announced.  Turning to walk away, I detected a familiar look on his face.  It was a look that clearly indicated he thought me just slightly on the wrong side of sanity. Admittedly, he may very well be right when it comes to such matters as the preservation of my cherished ornaments.  By the way, despite my best efforts, I inevitably manage to shatter at least one precious orb while decorating the tree.  This year was no different.

Pressing on, I challenged myself to find just the right ornaments in the form of traditional symbols of marriage. All in all, I think I did rather well.

Firstly, there was the matter of the wedding bells to announce the joyous occasion of a happy marriage.  What  silver wedding anniversary tree would be complete without them?

Chronica Domus
Photo: Chronica Domus


Chronica Domus
Photo: Chronica Domus


Of course, even before those wedding bells were ringing, Cupid had already paid us a visit.

Chronica Domus
Cupid's calling card in the form of a stylized bow and arrow, or is this more akin to the anchor on the Alcatraz ferry boat we met upon?
Photo: Chronica Domus


The following photograph shows a particularly felicitous ornament which is a new favorite of mine, having recently unearthed it at an antiques shop.  It was manufactured in the early decades of the twentieth century and I believe it to be German.  It still has its original colored glass clapper intact.

Chronica Domus
Combining two symbols of a happy marriage, this charming blown glass bell ornament is a perfect addition to the silver wedding anniversary tree
Photo: Chronica Domus


The bell-shaped ornament is especially appropriate to hang on our themed tree as it is decorated beautifully with a lone sprig of Lily of the valley. In the language of flowers, this botanical emblem symbolizes purity and happiness and is a popular bloom to include in bridal bouquets.  Lily of the valley is also the birth month flower for May, the month in which my husband was born and the month in which we wed.

No loved-up tree would be complete without a couple of lovebirds perched upon its boughs.  I found four of these silver tweeters to clip upon the tree.

Chronica Domus
Photo: Chronica Domus


I just adore this fun ornament, symbolizing the barrels of fun we've shared throughout our evolving marriage.  Incidentally, there has been lots of wine to accompany it too!

Chronica Domus
Photo: Chronica Domus


Oh, I almost forgot the strings of silver beads, perhaps representing the ropes that bind us together, arched gently across the branches.

By now you might be thinking to yourself this is all just a tad too corny, in which case, here's the perfect ornament for you:

Chronica Domus
A perfectly corny ornament to hang on this year's themed tree, would you not agree?
Photo: Chronica Domus


Of course, as this is a present of sorts to my Dear One, I've presented the bedecked tree to him on a Georgian sterling salver.  Wrapping the tree's base in a smart chocolate colored vintage ribbon gives it that buttoned-up look one hopes for when ready to walk down the aisle. Two smaller trees play supporting roles, much like the best man and matron of honor would at any wedding.

Chronica Domus
Presented on a Georgian sterling salver this year's Christmas tree is a special gift to my husband
Photo: Chronica Domus


If you look carefully, you will see a hint of gold in among the silver.  It is a hopeful reminder that we'll one day look forward to celebrating our next milestone wedding anniversary.  The quilted silver and gold heart perfectly conveys our ambition.  I know, I know, we are only half way there but one can still be hopeful, can't one?

Chronica Domus
A gold and silver heart ornament is an appropriate symbol to include upon our silver wedding anniversary tree
Photo: Chronica Domus

As for the tradition of including something old, borrowed, and blue on one's wedding day, I think my glittered plastic deer ornament covers that.  I've had him since childhood (it was my mother's actually),  and he has always founds his way onto our Christmas trees.  His little blue eyes and string collar cover the blue aspect of the tradition.  He's even wearing a festive bell.  I have placed him against one of the smaller bottle brush trees where he looks perfectly content, if not a bit ravaged by the decades.  It simply would not be Christmas without him.

Chronica Domus
Since writing my recent post about Babycham, I cannot help but view my cherished childhood deer ornament with fresh eyes - he looks strangely like the chamois used as the Babycham mascot, heavens!
Photo: Chronica Domus


I hope you've enjoyed viewing our silver wedding anniversary themed Christmas tree as much as I've enjoyed assembling it.

Do please come back soon and see what has become of our pocket-sized evergreen tree.

Happy anniversary, Dear One, and I wish us many more!

22 comments:

  1. What a charming post! Thank you for sharing your lovely and perfect anniversary tree. Happy Anniversary! Happy Christmas! Best wishes for many more.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello slf,

      Thank you kindly for your good wishes. So pleased you enjoyed the tree.

      Merry Christmas to you too!

      Delete
  2. What a loving and thoughtful tribute to your anniversary. Rather than losing your heart in San Francisco, you found and kept it there. My own 20 year marriage has been a cherished anchor in an increasingly complex, challenging world.
    Congratulations and may Fortune smile on you and your husband for many years more.
    Cheers!
    KL Gaylin

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello KL Gaylin,

      Yes, I do so love Mr. Bennett's song. It really is a perfect tribute to the city by the Bay.

      Thank you so much for your good wishes and congrats on reaching 20 yourself.

      Delete
  3. Hello CD, Your delicate silver tree is the perfect mix of aesthetics and symbolism. Happy Silver Anniversary, and many more, past the Gold and the Diamond, hinted at by the sparkling glitter. (My great-grandparents celebrated their Platinum anniversary, and likely also their 75th.)
    --Jim

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Jim, and thank you.

      It is wonderful to know that we are just getting going on these milestone anniversaries. Your grand-parents are an inspiration and I've not heard of too many others reaching Platinum and beyond. Wonderful story!

      Delete
  4. How utterly charming, as I would only expect from you! I've been blog-AWOL, and haven't decided whether it's temporary or permanent; there's a post pending about our recent trip to India, where incidentally we celebrated our 31st anniversary - by travelling to dinner in the forest atop an elephant, and a visit a few days later to that monument to love, the Taj Mahal. India was as the advert says, "incredible", (as in "Incredible India!").

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello columnist,

      How wonderful your adventure to India sounds. I very much look forward to reading your post when/if you choose to publish it.
      I've always yearned to visit India, and shall do so one of these days.

      Delete
  5. Happy Anniversary! Your tree is lovely and I enjoy the story behind each of your beautiful ornaments.
    xo,
    Karen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Karen, and I'm glad you enjoyed the ornaments and their signifigance on our silver anniversary tree.

      I'll be posting on our "real" tree next, so stay tuned for more ornaments.

      Delete
  6. Beautiful tree! My favorite! I tried to buy one last year; but they don't have them anymore!!
    I love all your antique ornaments!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Why, thank you, Penelope Bianchi.

      I am so sorry to hear you could not locate one of these little trees for your own. The couple that made them were going into retirement but I was hopeful they had a few laying about.

      Keep looking though, as I'm sure there is a demand for them and some industrious soul will think of making them.

      Our diminutive evergreen tree will be on the blog next. Perhaps that will inspire you.

      Delete
  7. I just love this post, your tree, and how you are choosing to celebrate your silver wedding anniversary. As a hopeless romantic,I love all the very tasteful personal touches. It has long been GSL's practice upon meeting an especially well matched couple of inquiring as to how they first met and always gently tease out a charming detail one party had been previuosly unprivy...perhaps GSL shall one day have Mister CD in the witness box cross examining how he came into such extraordinary good fortune.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello GSL,

      Thank you, and I'm pleased you enjoyed all the personal touches upon our tree, which I'm sure you'd agree is so much more tasteful than donning (and being photographed in) those tragic bikini bottoms/knickers emblazoned with "Mrs. CD" that are all the rage in certain questionable circles (see Mrs. Guy Richie etc.).

      Delete
  8. Dear CD,

    What a lovely way mark Christmas in your 25th year of marriage. Very warmest congratulations to you both. The decorations and sentiments behind them are perfection.

    Spud.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Spud,

      Thank you so much for your good wishes on our special anniversary.

      Delete
  9. ESPECIALLY "ON THE WAY TO JAIL"! I have been to Alcatraz......fascinating place!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it made quite the setting for an upcoming romance I can tell you!

      Delete
  10. That is the most beautiful tree CD, and so perfectly arranged it could easily feature in a Martha Stewart magazine spread on vintage ornaments. Congratulations to you both on reaching such a milestone. I love that you had a holiday romance that stayed the distance and that started on the way to prison! Wishing you many more long and happy years ahead x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Heidi,

      Thank you. It's funny you should mention Martha as I was just flipping through the December issue at the store last week (I've not subscribed for many years) and saw a spread on vintage ornaments which caught my eye. It may sound a little OCD but I wire my ornaments to the branches with fine guage jewelry making wire which has prevented mishaps and the inevitable breakages (now that we have a cat at home, this might prove very useful).

      So glad you liked the story of how we met. It certainly is an unusual one that's for sure!

      Delete
  11. It's just gorgeous. And so many congratulations and happy wishes to you!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Why, thank you Lisa, on both counts.

    ReplyDelete

Please do leave a comment as I enjoy the dialogue with my readership, thank you.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...