Last night, I took a few photos of some of my favorite ornaments on our Christmas tree. My family and our friends have so many incredible traditions this time of year... and one of my favorite things is the history that comes with some of the ornaments on our very own tree. I wanted to share a couple of them with you...
I bought this ornament for Dave in December of 2004, 6 months after we were married. Our first Christmas.
Every year for at least the past 8, my mom has given me (and each of my sisters and Jenny) a new ornament for our Christmas tree. She wraps all of them and just lets us pick. We (and she!) never know what we'll get. Sometimes there is a theme, and sometimes she just finds beautiful ornaments. This one was from 2005.
Another one of my ornaments from mom. This one actually came with 3 other pieces of candy... green, red, and blue, too!
Speaking of moms... my mother-in-law makes sure that we have a new police officer for our tree every year. Santa as a cop, a snowman as a cop, a cop car...
My friend Cindy gave me this ornament when I graduated from college. With it a note about how, during my years at UW, I was an angel to her and her family (I met them at a church where I worked, and quickly became their "surrogate" daughter, and like an older sister to their three girls, who I babysat frequently.) Cindy and her oldest daughter, Megan, played their violins at our wedding.
The year that Dave and I were engaged, his mom gave me a box full of Sesame Street ornaments for Christmas. These were Dave's when he was a child, and they are some of my (and the boys') favorite ornaments on our tree. They are handmade, from felt, and I hang them on the lowest branches, so that Emmett can touch some of what is beautiful on our tree without getting into any trouble! We have Bert and Ernie, Oscar, the Cookie Monster, and Big Bird.
This is my favorite one. For the past 30 years it's hung on either my parents' or our Christmas tree. I received it as a gift on the day I was baptized, in February of 1979. It is a painted sand dollar, with a music box attached to the back. Do you know "the legend" or the significance of the sand dollar?
There's a pretty little legend
That I would like to tell
-Of the birth and death of Jesus
Found in this lowly shell.
If you examine closely,
You'll see that you find here
Four nail holes and a fifth one
Made by a Roman's Spear.
On one side the Easter Lily,
Its center is the star
That appeared unto the shepherds
And led them from afar.
The Christmas poinsettia
Etched on the other side
Reminds us of His birthday
Our Happy Christmastide.
Now break the centre open
And here you will release
The five white doves awaiting
To spread Good Will and Peace.
This simple little symbol,
Christ left for you and me
To help us spread His Gospel
Through all eternity.
Which is the favorite ornament on your Christmas tree?
8 comments:
Lovely ornaments!
The fav on my tree has to be Rudolph - I have a collection of the ornaments based on the tv show.
Either that one or the fat sparkly purple gold fish it big lips :)
Great pics! (And ornaments!)
Every year I get a snowman ornament from my best friend from college. (I love snowmen!) Those are the only ornaments that make it on the tree every year... everything else is new or rotated based on my whim - so I guess I'd have to vote for one of them as my favorites! Don't make me pick just one though!
Oh Emily! What a beautiful post. It captures what is special about Christmas - traditions. And I love the photos. I look forward anxiously to many more pics that you will take and share. Our tree is also covered with ornaments that have memories attached to them. This year, our Christmas tree decorating was a bit more chaotic (with two extra and enthusiastic helpers)...We have the soft smooshy ornaments, perfect for little hands, and the special ones which we had to watch over. Joey and I were a little stressed to say the least, trying to find a balance between allowing the children to have fun and be hands-on and still end up with an aesthetically pleasing tree. Luckily, we have other decorations they could occupy themselves with - our little people nativity as well as our nativity finger puppets. They always remind me of that special moment when you allowed Michael to set up your beautiful nativity and the memory of the sweetness with which you told him about baby Jesus. You will be a perfect godmother for our third baby. Love you SO much!
xo
I have some of Grandma P.'s ornaments on my tree. They are nothing special, but they are still my favorite.
Great post, and I love the top picture of your tree! You are a pro with that new camera already. My favorite ornament is a ceramic blue star from Rowe Pottery Works that Greg gave me when we first started dating.
i have so many favorites. one of the best is a moose with cute little multicolored little marbles at the end of his antlers, from dan. other favorites are ones i received from an old couple on my paperroute, one that i made with lynn plamann when we were about 8, and the clay his/hers snowmen that dan made for me when we were just married. we also have the felt bert and ernie, from mom and dad's tree. and i like to top the whole thing off with popcorn; reminds me of when we were little.
Love how clear the pictures are! Good choice Dave!
I can't really ssay which ornament I have that is my favorite. There's some from my childhood, some as a young adult and some that I've picked up on my travels to Russia, Kaz and Kryg. Each is special.
oh yeah, I have a paper route ornament too. I like that one too. Emily, you wouldn't have any paper route ornaments, now would you?
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