Fielder’s Choice

Saturday morning, I started looking at some of the ornaments on our Christmas trees.

With three windows in our living room, we decided a few years back to go with two small trees rather than one large one. Maybe we need three to take care of all the ornaments.

Ornaments are a big thing at the Burlesons’ house. Each family member has his or her favorites.

There’s one covering all our favorite teams or schools — like the Atlanta Braves, Alabama Crimson Tide, University of Southern Mississippi, the Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans, and more.

I noticed Saturday morning that an important one was missing — a new Atlanta Braves, World Series Champions ornament.

“We will work on that for next year,” my wife Pam said.

There are ornaments that our children made in elementary school. Those will always be cherished, whether they’re able to make it onto one of the trees each year or not.

We have ornaments from most places where we’ve enjoyed vacation time.

There’s several from Disney World, plus the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach area. There’s one from Hilton Head, S.C., one from West Palm Beach, Fla., one from Kemah, Texas, and the list goes on and on.

Those are all very special. At Christmas-time, they help rekindle thoughts of family vacations. They bring smiles of good times.

And for me, that’s one of the most important things about this time of year — family.

There are ornaments commemorating weddings — Pam and I on November 25, 1989, and the other in our immediate family, Andy and Brooke on November 16, 2019.

Andy’s Sponge Bob has a spot on a tree this year. And so does Big Bird, Emma’s first Christmas ornament.

I could go on and on and on about the significance of ornaments. For the Burlesons, they mean a lot. They’re cherished.

I’ve also been thinking a lot this year about Christmas traditions.

Our children are grown now, so Pam and I miss the Christmas Eve nights, making the last-minute preparations for Santa’s big visit.

I will never forget Christmas Eve as a child myself. I would wake at times during the night and go peek through the living room door to see if the jolly man from the North Pole had made his way to our house yet.

And it seemed I always got what I wanted ­ whether it was a G.I. Joe or some Hot Wheels or a new bicycle.

I remember my mother’s wonderful cooking. I miss her year-round but especially at Christmas. No one can make her banana pudding or her chicken and dressing.

I’m so thankful my mother left behind holiday traditions. And even though, a lot has changed, a lot has stayed the same, too — thank goodness. We will still gather in Alabama for an extended family Christmas, and that’s a blessing.

Pam’s dad and mom always had chocolate-covered cherries for the holidays. We’ve tried to keep that tradition going, too. We miss them tremendously, too.

Spend time with family this week. Make memories. Have a good time. Build traditions.

From the Burlesons, God bless and Merry Christmas.