A Tree Topper

Each year at christams time Dan and I go searching for what we think is the perfect tree. We have found them at Home Depot up the street. We take Miles with us and he sniffs around and finds our tree for us. We do the usual, bring it home and prepare it for the stand and decorating.

Our tree topper is an angel. But a different angel, it is a home made one. My sister gave it to us for a wedding gift. It is a porcupine puppet with a halo and wings. The porcupine has a deep meaning in our home..that story later....so for five years our porcupine angel has adorned our tree. Same this year until a week before Christmas...

My dad had this amazing hat. It's made in germany but I hardly beleive he purchased it there. He stayed away from Germany.

But anyway he put all of his ski pins on it. Wherever skied he would buy a pin and put it on. Also he added his Tenth Mountain Division pins on it and small replica pins of the medals he was honored with as a soldier in World War II.

After my dad passed in Sept. of 2008 my Uncle and I were going through some of his things in his garage in Marco and came accross this hat. Our eyes grew wide and we put the hat back in it's box and put it away. But before Christmas I was at my mom's house and picked up the box and brought it home. When Dan got home I asked himn to take the porcupine off the tree for I found a new and more appropriate topper. He dismounted the porcupine and I placed dad's hat on the top of the tree. It was perfect. For it was the first Christmas with out Coach , but we needed him with us, and this is how he was. The placement of the hat on the top of the tree looked as if Coach came in the house and threw the hat on the top of the tree. Perfection at it's finest. Our family gathering on Christmas eve at our house, everyone was suprised and happy to see the hat at the top. It was comforting and special and a great way to welcome our first Christmas with out Coach.