Memorial Christmas Ornaments.

As Advent starts, our church parishoners carry on a 'tradition' if you will (we have been doing this for about 4 - 5 years), of honoring and remembering those family members and friends who have passed on, either during the past year or before. Each year, we offer a style of Christmas ornament which is tagged with the name of a loved one, blessed by our priest during mass, then followed by adorning what is now known as our

"Memorial Christmas Tree" set upon the alter. The tree and ornaments stay there during the Christmas season for all to see. Not only do we decorate the tree with the current ornament but people can bring in those from past years. This started out as a fundraiser for our youth group but has taken on a life of its own. Donations can be given for these but we do it for the sentiment. Our first ones were the pewter - many folks had us put a loved one's name on a tag so the family could put a photo in the center. (What you see is sample of my family's ornaments.) The tree looks beautiful when adorned. All names are there to see and remember past seasons. When the tree gets taken down, all ornaments are taken home by the family. Some people have told us they keep them displayed all year long. It is nice to see that what started out, probably as a one time event, has grown to be something that our parishoners look forward to, adding to the memory of someone special.