Friday, December 11, 2009

Pink Saturday- My Favorite Ornament

My Favorite Decoration-



Last week I posted a story about a little old Santa ornament that is my favorite. It was once my grandmother's and then my mother's and now it belongs to me.  I wrote about all the memories that it invoked. We were asked to write about our favorite Christmas memory as a child. Mine was tied up in this jolly and worn little man.

This week we are to write about our favorite decoration. But in last weeks post I had already done that so I will take some liberty and tell you about our ornaments and a family tradition instead. I think it will tie in nicely enough.

My mother first gave my husband and me a "First Christmas Together" ornament 26 years ago for our first Christmas as a married couple.




When our children were born I bought each of them a "Baby's First Christmas" ornament. Every year I bought at least one ornament that would signify something special in their lives.  My thought was that by the time they were off on their own and married (or 30) they would have a box of cherrished things to put on their tree.






The only ornament I have left from Jacqueline

Jacqueline, our daughter, had many ballet slippers, pink flamingos, cheereleaders, crowns, ballerinas, angels and other very pink and girly things. I can't show you any of them, for, as many of you know she has recently been married and now has a tree of her own. Last Christmas I bought the newly weds  a "First Chirstmas Together" ornament and a pickle ornament (another family tradition) and boxed up all her wonderful ornaments and gave them to her. How things do come 'round!

Our son Christopher has many baseballs, footballs, drums, anything with antlers ( a stage he was going through- for years!), dinosaurs, Army things, and anything else an active boy would have! We will  put his treasured ornaments on the tree, he still comes home to us!

All these ornaments along with the homemade kiddie ones! Full of paste and glitter and funny little pictures. One's that totally embarrass my children, but one I hold dearer than any other posession I have.



Christopher, circa kindergarten

This is a transition year for Bobby and me.  Jacqueline and Prince Charming will not be with us for Christmas day- very tough to say without boo-hooing- but right, none the less. And Chris won't be here to chop down our tree.  We have chopped down a tree ever since Bobby and I put our "First Christmas Together" ornament on one.

Life is full of changes. And these are healthy for my children and good... just a little hard for me. 

So it is time to honor our wonderful memories from the past and make new ones. I am now collecting "Old World " Christmas Ornaments with gusto! I had collected some in the past, but now I am thinking about decorating my whole family tree with them.


Dear little Christmas mouse- "Old World Ornaments"


I am so glad that my Mother sparked the idea in me to give my children the gift of Christmases Past all wrapped up in their ornaments.

I will continue to give them an ornament each year- because ornaments, I have found, are the keepers of wonderful  Christmas memories!

I am participating in Pink Saturday, hosted by Beverly. It is a wonderful community of positive and lovely people. Go check out all the other Christmas ornament stories at How Sweet The Sound.

14 comments:

  1. Oh such memories. I also started each child with a Baby's first Christmas ornament and then added one each year. My daughter Sara got married 3 years ago on Dec 23rd so was on her Honeymoon for her first married Christmas. I gave her the box of 'her' ornaments the next year for her first tree as a married woman and she had so much fun putting them on the tree. It is good to know she has memories of her childhood to carry on into her own family traditions.

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  2. Yvonne--I have done the same thing. Our daughter who got married in June was thrilled to take "her" box of ornaments for their first tree together. Now about Christmas...tell Jacqueline to renegotiate the pre-nup...Christmas is with Moma! :)

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  3. Happy Pink Saturday Yvonne...
    I so love your post sweetie. How precious all these ornaments that you have. We are kind of sentimental Moma's I guess. (I have lots too.)

    I love your 3 generation ornament. How wonderful that you have it to pass on to your children some day also.

    That little mouse holding the cherries, I collect cherries, and he is just precious. Oh I love that one.

    You know isn't it funny how we have our children, they drive us so nuts sometimes, we can't wait for them to get older, now they are, we wonder where has the time gone, and then sometimes they don't get to be with us at the holidays. How sad life is like that sometimes.

    I love your post. Love your ornaments, and I had a wonderful evening with you tonight. Please stop by and let me share my pink post with you. Country hugs sweetie...Sherry

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  4. Loved reading about your family tree ornament tradition.
    Have a great weekend.
    Maggie

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  5. So many nice ornaments. Love the gingerbread boy and the little mouse is so sweet. Pink Blessings!
    Gwen

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  6. This is a delightful post. I enjoyed it very much...

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  7. What a wonderful post! I enjoyed seeing all of your sentimental ornaments. Those are the best kind! That gingerbread boy with your son's picture stole my heart.

    Happy Pink Saturday!

    XO,

    Sheila :-)

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  8. Well, you know that I understand about the changes that happen. My suitcases are out...I had Christmas with my son, grandsons and in-laws today. After Thanksgiving with just the 2 of us...I swore I'd go to a hotel somewhere next year.

    Aw...something we don't have in common-the year we got married. when you got that ornament...I'd been married 9 years!

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  9. How sweet to send your children's childhood ornaments on with them. Sometimes the holidays can be bitter sweet. I think you ornament shared through the generations is extremely special. thanks for sharing these thoughts and memories....Sarah

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  10. Thank you for sharing your loving memories with us today! Your ornaments are simply wonderful!
    Dee dee

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  11. Happy Pink Saturday ! What beautiful decorations filled with memories. Thanks so much for your visit to my blog. Yes, I make all the bows and enjoy making them. Have a wonderful new week filled with all beautiful things, Christmas.

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  12. Happy Pink Saturday, Yvonne.

    I love this post. Each year we give our son and grandson a Christmas ornament, too. It is so much fun looking at their tree, and seeing all of the ornaments my son as received over the years.

    Your ornaments are wonderful treasures.

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  13. Pretty interesting blog you've got here. Thanx for it. I like such themes and everything that is connected to this matter. I would like to read more on that blog soon.

    Avril Benedict

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  14. Wow, pretty interesting info. How will I get that subscription?

    Kate Watcerson
    bug detection

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