Everyone seems to have favorites when it comes to the Christmas season. For some, it’s all about the food, the parties, the classic TV specials, or the chance to gather with friends and family. Others love the decorations most of all—the lights, the sparkle, the feeling that the whole world is getting dressed up for the season. As for me, I’m not much for choosing favorites. I like it all! But my wife Jan? She definitely has a favorite… she’s all about the decorating.

At our house, nothing escapes Jan’s holiday touch. Everything gets decorated one way or another… including me. But her true specialty is Christmas trees. This year we’ll have twelve at our house—each one fully decorated, each one perfectly arranged. It’s an incredible sight, and I love every bit of it. She’s knee-deep in it already, and I’m just grateful she’s the one doing the heavy lifting!

A project on that scale takes a lot of ornaments, and over the years we’ve collected boxes full of them. Each one carries a little magic of its own. But the best ornaments are the ones with a story. When they come out of the box, someone always says, “Aunt Judy gave us that,” or “We got that at Disney World,” or “That one belonged to Grandma Pat.” They bring back memories of loved ones separated by time or distance. As each ornament finds its place on the tree, the stories come with it.

And that’s really the inspiration behind my own ornament designs—telling a story and creating a connection with the people who hang them on their tree. It’s my greatest honor that in some small way, my art can become part of a family’s holiday traditions. Now that’s truly my favorite part of the Christmas season!

God Bless,