My daughter getting her new "Little Einsteins" ornament last year.
It's no secret that I love Christmas tree ornaments. I must wind up with at least a half dozen new ones each year. Some I buy for our family - I'm addicted to those Hallmark Keepsake oranments - and some are given to me by friends and family.
Needless to say, we've amassed an extensive collection of ornaments!
As I mentioned in my Day 1 post about Christmas Trees, I inherited quite a few old, family ornaments when my mother and grandmother passed away. There are many that are in bad condition, and I should probably just get rid of them. But then, most were handmade by family and have sentimental value, so I keep them, even if I don't use them. (I suppose I hang onto them for all the wrong reasons, but I just haven't been able to let them go. No need to call "Hoarders," though, I promise.).
But there are many other heirloom (to me, anyway) ornaments that I use each year. One year, my grandmother decided to go with a gold and white themed tree, and made all of her ornaments by hand. I still have her gold bells, snowflakes, and icicles, and I use them each year.
Back in the late 1970's, my mother made dozens of red bows from a wired, velvet ribbon. Quite a few of them have survived, and I put them on the tree each year for a blast of red color. Plus, they remind me of my mom.
Probably my favorite old ornaments are the "icicle men." They're these odd-shaped, clear, plastic figures, with sharp, pointy heads and red noses. Clearly, they are not cute. When I was a kid, we would hide them in the tree (presumably because of their non-cuteness?) and make a game of finding them. I still do this, although for years, I've been the only one who cared to look for them later. I'm hoping my daugher will want to play along this year.
I have several ornament "collections" to which I add each year. In my younger, single days, I collected the Hallmark Barbie™ Christmas ornaments. I stopped collecting them (and hanging them on the tree) when I married my husband; he thought they were a bit silly and girlie. I'll probably give them to my daughter when she gets a little older.
For my husband, I buy an airplane ornament each year. He really could care less, but I thought there needed to be some ornaments that had some meaning to him on the tree. I also pick up whatever moose ornaments I can find.
A few of our special ornaments.
My daughter has receved those "1st Christmas," "2nd Christmas," etc., ornaments every year since she was born. I hang those low on the tree where she can see them. We also have several family pictures on the tree, which she enjoys.We have many cherished ornaments on our tree each year. I'm looking foward to seeing them again... as soon as my husband brings in the boxes from the garage!
This post is the third in the "Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories" series. To learn more, or to join in the fun, please visit Geneabloggers.
Copyright © by Elizabeth O'Neal
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