My husband and I started this tradition 12 years ago when we graduated college and moved across country to Los Angeles. It was our first Christmas together and we bought a tree but had no money left for ornaments. Armed with a simple pad of construction paper and markers, we made our own ornaments and surprised each other. Never did we know then that it would become a precious and long-standing tradition in our home.

These ornaments tell the story of our 12 years together. They mark our 1st Christmas, our wedding proposal, long awaited pregnancies, the births of our children, the additions and losses of pets, national tragedies, political events, vacations, and new homes.

They are some of our most prized possessions and provide an emotional walk down memory lane each year when they taken out of the box and hung, one by one, on our tree.

And each year we are left with the suspense of wondering which one will be created next…