Remembering Our First Christmas
Just a Few Christmases Ago
An ornament on our main Christmas tree is a reminder of our first Christmas together back in 1993.
Most all of the ornaments on our Christmas trees have some sort of sentimental value for one reason or another. But I always smile when I see the ornament in the photo above because it is a reminder of our first Christmas together as a married couple.
By the time Christmas came around in 1993, we had been married for just over five months. We had just moved into a house from an apartment. We set up our first Christmas tree with a few ornaments we had gotten from our families along with some we had bought for ourselves. The tree and decorations were nice and simple, as were so many things back then.
Then, one Sunday at church, a sweet lady came up to us. She apologized for not getting us a gift closer to our wedding, and then she gave us this ornament commemorating our first Christmas together. It was sweet then, and it is still sweet now, a nice reminder of our first Christmas, as well as of the lady that gave us the ornament.
We still put the ornament on our tree each year, and I still enjoy it. This will be our 28th Christmas together. No one puts ornaments that say, “Our 28th Christmas” on their tree. But each Christmas is special in its own way, and I have enjoyed them all.
Photo Memories
But that ornament is not the only reminder of our first Christmas together. We also have this picture frame with a couple of old photos in it. Those photos are actually from that first year. Who is that guy with the hair? Whatever happened to him?
We might have changed just a little over the years, but those Christmas memories are still great. And we enjoy making more Christmas memories each year, too. We keep adding new ornaments to our Christmas trees (and new Christmas trees, too), we keep taking new photos, and we keep spending time with friends and family when we can. It is all good.
I hope you and your family have many great Christmas memories, and that you keep on making more, too!
Bible Verse
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). - Matthew 1:22-23
About the Photos
There really isn’t anything special about these photos. I did use the natural lighting of the tree in the ornament photo, and the overhead light in the room for the photo frame photo. Both of those photos required a high ISO setting due to the relatively low light levels, and also a steady hand due to slow shutter speeds. But I think they turned out okay.
I don’t always like taking a photo of a photo, as I did for the second photo. But I also did not want to try to take the old photos out of the frame and try to scan them. That does make me appreciate these days when all photos are digital, so there is no scanning involved. As long as you can find the CD or hard drive where you stored the photo, of course.
Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Aurora HDR. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Sony Alpha A7 II
Lens: Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS lens
Date: December 14, 2020
Location: Home, Williston, Tennessee
