Is it still tradition if you change it?

As a child, one of my happiest (sets of) memories was visiting my Grandparents house in Utah for Christmas.

It was always so magical to me.

I'm sure the fact that Grandma made me feel so very special had quite a lot to do with it, but I just couldn't get enough of all the little things she'd do to make her home seasonally fabulous. One of my favorite years was when she had the white flocked tree (hello, 80's!) decorated with brightly colored teddy bears wearing Crayola tee shirts dyed the exact same color as the bear. Grandma and I shared a love of teddy bears and it was spectacular to me.

Then there was the coal bucket she'd decorated and kept filled with tasty goodness we could eat whenever we wanted. {Whenever we wanted??? Sign me up!}

Mostly though, I loved being in the kitchen with her and the way she'd hug me. And the moochin' tree.

Everyone loved the moochin' tree.

Grandma & Grandpa were a little dedicated to the 'ol BYU athletics, so the tree had a foundation of BYU-blue lights. Then grandma would spend time (hours...) sewing string through all manner of holiday treats to use in place of ornaments. The tree would sit on a table near the front door and visitors were encouraged to devour as much as they wanted until it's offerings were depleted.

In our family, the special darks usually went first.

And the peppermint patties usually lasted a while simply because there were about eighteen bajillion of them and I couldn't eat them fast enough.

Yum.

That little tree has been so fun for so many people over the years and I always swore it would carry on in my home. This year, with a new home and enough neighbor children to justify it, we did it.

Only, it's far less colorful. And, it took toooooo long to sew string through the candy so we taped curling ribbon to them instead. Which means said candy is now falling off the tree and plumeting down our stairs. Since we didn't have a spot near the door to place it and have it propped up on a tub of lincoln logs in the hallway. It isn't perfect, but it's a start; And it's still the moochin' tree - only it's in my house now!! {A childhood dream come true.}

It looks far too serious for a candy tree. I saw some fabulous purple LED lights that I think it needs. Since I have no athletic allegiances to honor, I think purple would be divine. Until then, come on over and grab a treat. The moochin' tree in only fun when it's able to be shared.