Yesterday, I gave you a sneak peek of what I have been working on this week.
It’s a Patriotic themed white Christmas tree.
I am partnering with Tree Classics to bring you the Patriotic Fridays with Tree Classics Blog Hop.
This Blog Hop features a white Christmas tree that we have decorated
in a patriotic theme, inspired by the bravery of our beloved soldiers.
Soldiers who fought, and those making the ultimate sacrifice,
to defend and fight to preserve our precious freedoms
that we hold dear in this great Country of ours.
I am joining three fellow bloggers to present our Patriotic Trees.
I was honored to have been chosen by Tree Classics to participate in this Blog Hop.
I know my father would have been so pleased that I created this tree
in honor of our courageous soldiers.
There will be some information below on the upcoming giveaway
of a white Christmas tree selected by Tree Classics.
My tree that I have decorated for you today is the 7 1/2 foot
Arctic White Pine tree (See product list below) which was a breeze to set up.
The trees are always packaged with extreme care.
I also received this fabulous stand on wheels that has a very easy peasy
system of securing the tree. A sleeve tightens against the
tree base/stem when you turn the screws, rather than the screws tightening against the stem.
The tree storage bag fits over the stand for the coolest tree storage.
The entire time I was decorating the tree, I was thinking of my dad.
Oh how I miss him. I miss our talks . . . his stories . . . his songs . . .
his advice and help on how to fix something.
He was the ultimate handyman.
When I saw this figurine so many years ago, it reminded me of my dad.
He was an Army man . . . in the 133rd Infantry/regimen in the medical detachment.
He was a Medic. Everyone called him Doc.
My dad served in World War II and also the Korean War.
He was a man of the greatest integrity . . . and taught us kids that integrity and honor
is of the utmost importance in life. He taught us how courage, honor, and commitment
can lead us to live a most wonderful life.
I am one of 5 siblings and three of us were born on Army bases.
Living on Army bases was hard on my mom after the War
especially when my Dad was always getting shipped overseas on an assignment.
But she overcame all of the difficulties that came her way with dignity and grace.
Many years ago, I bought these two figurines and placed them around a photo
of my dad in his Army uniform standing by my grandfather.
My grandfather looked very proud.
The above image of the trio of pom-poms reminds me of fireworks bursting in the sky.
We celebrated every patriotic holiday with fun outings, mainly picnics at the beach
or BBQ’s with friends at my parents’ house.
I filled a metal red, white, and blue “picnic” basket
with things that reminded me of my childhood summers and placed it near the tree.
I remember taking turns with my siblings
turning the crank on the ice cream churn . . . the electric ones did not exist!
Oh goodness . . . I am dating myself!
After the horrible and tragic events of 9/11, I think I bought every ornament
that Christopher Radko created in honor of the victims and heroes of 9/11,
such as this one:
And the “Brave Heart” seen below.
Those ornaments always have a place on one of my trees every Christmas.
My dad passed away before 9/11 and I know that if he was still alive,
he would be purchasing every one of those ornaments too.
The Colonial Flutist is an old Byers Caroler.
Through some research done by my sister, we recently discovered that we are
descendants of an ancestor that fought in the Revolutionary War.
Therefore, we sisters can deem ourselves as “Daughters of the American Revolution” 🙂
It’s funny that long, long before we knew of being a “D.A.R” we would enter
essay contests with a monetary prize sponsored by the D.A.R.
Two of my sisters won first place for their essays for their respective schools.
When my sister Betty learned about the program, “Honor Flight” she was quick to
sign up/apply to escort a World War II veteran to Washington, D.C.
I know my dad was looking down and being very proud of her.
At the time of the flight, the Veteran was a young man of 95.
His name was George and he served in the Navy.
My sister Betty said it was the thrill of a lifetime for her and George.
They met the Honorable Senators Bob and Elizabeth Dole.
George recently passed away and we will always remember him and those
who fought in World War II as part of the Greatest Generation.
I packed away my patriotic themed pillows, so the next best thing
was to make a floral arrangement using the colors of the grand ole flag.
When taking photos of the tree, I took them with both the lights on and off
to give you the appearance of both looks.
Lights on:
Lights off:
I had lots of fun decorating this tree in honor of the men and women who
have served our country with the utmost honor and courage.
I used many decorations that I had on hand (that have not been packed up yet)
and 2 sets of beautiful shiny red finial ornaments provided by Tree Classics.
I hope you enjoyed this post of stories and tributes.
I mentioned the Giveaway that Tree Classics will be offering to our readers briefly
in my statement at the beginning of this post.
There will be an announcement of the details of the giveaway to win a white
Christmas tree, selected by Tree Classics. The giveaway would also involve voting for
your favorite Patriotic tree that has been presented by the Blog Hop participants.
This contest/giveaway will begin around June 23rd and the winner will be announced
on July 4th . . . on our Nation’s Birthday.
I will give you more details regarding this in the very near future!
Thanks so much for visiting me today! You can see the Product List below.
Have a most beautiful day dear readers and a fabulous weekend!
DISCLOSURE: I have been provided the following items by Tree Classics
that are listed below in the Product List. These are NOT Affiliate links.
All wonderful, rave reviews are happily and entirely my own!
PRODUCT LIST: (Click on description for the link)
Arctic White Pine 7 1/2 foot Christmas Tree
Winter Delight Collection Red Finials – 12 pieces
Shirley, My heart beats Red, White & Blue and your patriotic tree is a thing of beauty! I love the ornaments you’ve collected through the years, along with your story of your dad’s service and your D.A.R. sisters. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to be a military wife…your mom deserves a stars & stripes salute too! I have a couple of CR ornaments from 9/11 including ‘Brave Heart’ and also have the same RW&B plaid picnic tin (great minds shop alike ;). Thanks for sharing your love of the Grand Ole Flag on your tree. Happy Weekend! ♥
Shirley, your patriotic tree decked out in its red, white, and blue is absolutely beautiful and such a lovely tribute to those who have protected and continue to protect our dear country. I enjoyed reading of your childhood memories. I hope that you have a wonderful weekend!!!
Beautiful tree and such a wonderful tribute to the men and women who have guarded our country. Thank you for your father’s service to out country. So happy you were asked to do this. Be proud of your creation. Have a great weekend.
Fabulous way to decorate a patriotic tree and sharing your memories. Hurray for the red, white and blue!
Shirley, you have created such a gorgeous tree! I know your dad would love this, and your Mom surely will. I can’t believe how great your tree looks, so patriotic and all-American. Your little porcelain ornaments are beyond sweet, as are all the red,white and blue touches. What a beautiful tribute to our service men and women, and our country. Well done you, in between packing and moving, you are amazing, friend! xoxo Lidy
What a beautiful collection of patriotic decorations. Your tree is perfect.
You have decorated this white tree beautifully with special chosen ornaments. Your Dad would be extremely proud! To add to the beauty of your creations, your stories added so much. My Dad fought in WWII and they are definitely the Greatest Generation. You have honored them in a very special way. Thank you.
What a beautiful tribute to your father and all men who served our country. Your tree is wonderful. I love your patriotism.
Your tree is beautiful and I loved hearing the stories about your father and your family. My father was in WWII in the Navy. He was a Sea Bee.
Shirley, how I adore this gorgeous patriotic tree. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your sentiments! This is a lovely tribute to your father, a hero from the Greatest Generation, just like my Dad! This just made my day, thank you for sharing your sweet heart!
What a wonderful giveaway! Love how you decorated yours and the stories you shared. My dad served in WWII and my Grandfather in WWI and I have several other relatives who have served in the military. We have to keep the memories alive and honor all those who served. Looking forward to seeing the other trees and how they were decorated. Happy packing!
WOW! What a beautiful tree and adornments. I would never thought of decorating a tree other than for Christmas. I have seen black trees decorated for halloween which is not my cup of tea but your tree I would love. I wouldn’t stop at a Patriotic tree, I’m thinking Valentines, St. Patricks, Easter, themes like Beach, Save our Honey Bees, and so much more. This post has my creative juices flowing. I’m making some Farm theme cross stitch ornaments and wouldn’t that be beautiful? All the farm animals, barns, tractors, etc. I would love this tree but I only seen green ones on their site. I’ll have to search a bit more.
I put the word white in the search box and found all the beautiful white trees.
Your patriotic tree is stunning. Your memories of your dear Father touched me in my heart. My Dad was also a veteran of WW2 but he died when I was 4. So I don’t remember him, but have missed him every single day. I loved hearing about your childhood memories and that you are members of the DAR! Or could be! Have a beautiful weekend. I am still fighting whatever the heck I have. Ugh. Hope your packing is going well, I bet Tom has it totally organized:):):)
PS, wondering why my info doesn’t automatically fill in anymore and that no one’s latest post is showing up like it used to also???
Shirley, your patriotic tree is so special…Your Dad would be so proud….thanks for the beautiful post!!
Not enough superlatives to express my love of what you’ve done and how you’ve used both Classic Trees’ products and your own personal collection, Shirley! The meaning behind what you have in your personal collection, and the story of your family is what America is all about. I cannot imagine a more beautiful and meaningfully decorated tree than this. Superb!
O MY!! I was thrilled to see your beautiful Patriotic tree!! I have a 6 foot white tree that i have decorated for the Patriotic Holidays for about 5 years now and will be doing a post on it soon!! Looking forward to seeing the other posts about a white patriotic tree!!!
Hugs,
Deb
I love this tree Shirley. It is so gorgeous. I just got a new white tree like this from tree classics after the holidays for next year. Now you have me thinking I should get it out and decorate it for the 4th. Have a wonderful weekend.
xoxo
Kris
Shirley, your tree is just beautiful and I loved reading your family stories. It’s so important that we remember those who have served and those in our family are the best place to start! I love the way you did your tree..it’s perfectly patriotic!
I would like to mention that Hallmark has a line of cards called American Heroes. A card can be a nice touch for any military occasion. I am not personally advertising this retailer, I accidentally came across these cards and have purchased on many occasions
What a wonderful post! Heartfelt for sure!! A great tribute to your family, our country and all who gave all for us!! Thank you and God Bless you and your family!! ??❤️??❤️??
Your tree is really beautiful Shirley,and thee family memories you’ve shared makes it even more special. I teared up reading your wonderful stories and patriotic love. Your ornaments are treasures! God Bless America!
Your tree is stunning. Thanks for honoring all those who have and still serve our country.
Love your tree! How beautiful and such a wonderful tribute to your father, those who have served and are serving. My father served in WWII also in the Army Air Corps as a ball turett gunner on B17’s and B 24’s. Aren’t we proud of our dad’s! Mine has been in Heaven 14 years and I miss him so much. They were special men and truly part of the Greatest Generation.
Beautiful tree memorial, beautiful memories…your story brought tears to my eyes and, of course, also reminded me of my own dad. My dad was with the 82nd. Airborne (Army). He joined the Army when he was just 16 years old and it was always a major part of his life. He received many medals for bravery…now that he has passed, the ones I have mean even more to me, knowing just how brave these young soldiers were. Let us never forget all the men and women that have put their lives on the line so that we may be free.
Just wanted to know that I included a link to your post in the post I did on My Patriotic Tree..
Hugs,
Deb
I loved reading your post! It reminded me of my dad’s service in Korea. He was in a special unit that some say was the precursor to the Green Berets. He’s been gone for 10 years, but his service carries on! Lovely, lovely tree.
Shirley, your tree is beautifully inspirational and is only topped by the service your family has given to our country! God bless!
Shirley , your tree is beautiful and your stories about your family is such a joy to read.
The memories that you that you have collected will be cherished for a long time by family members.
I’m always stunned by your talent and eye for decorating.