Recently, I joined this great group of social media moms at the suggestion of a friend. Through this group I get to network regularly with other “mom” bloggers in my area and benefit not only from great advice and conversation, but also some really cool opportunities. One of the group’s facilitators, Jo-Lynne, over at Musings of a Housewife came up with this creative idea to host a Christmas Ornament Show & Tell on her blog and invited the social media moms group to join.
This was a no-brainer for me. I am Christmas obsessed AND I have a huge tree (12 feet) filled with tons of ornaments which represent little bits and pieces of my family’s life.
Our tree has evolved over the thirteen or some odd years my husband and I have been together and like our relationship, our tree has grown and matured to reflect who we are and represents our true style. As of current, our tree is adorned with wooden, red beaded garland and ornaments which have some type of red in them and lots of red, glass balls. Since my tree is large, we can include both large (sometimes VERY large) and small ornaments.
Several years ago we opted to go with an artificial tree. It bummed me out for a bit not to have a real tree, but having a pre-lit tree ready to go also has its perks. To alleviate my yearning for a real tree, we get a small, real tree and place it in another area of the house.
In true Show & Tell fashion, I am going to share my top 5 favorite ornaments with you and the story behind these ornaments.
Ornament #1: The Santa Face: My husband and I picked this one up many years ago and have used it on our tree ever since. It is heavy and on the larger size so we always put this ornament on the tree first. This ornament symbolizes the start of the Christmas season to me so it’s only natural that I would choose it as the first ornament to share with you as part of the Show and Tell.
Ornament #2: The Wooden Bearded Santa: I made this ornament in the third or fourth grade. I can remember painting it in art class and proudly bringing it home to give to my mom. My mother put it on her tree for many years and when I moved out, she gave it to me. This ornament reminds me of my childhood and many Christmases past. I don’t have a ton of ornaments from my childhood so I cherish this one deeply.
Ornament #3: The Red Shoe: I have a ridiculous shoe habit and nothing makes me happier than a good shoe. I like this ornament because it is such a reflection of me and who I am. It’s fun and whimsical and keeps the tree a little sassy and sexy.
Ornament #4: The Teddy Bear: Prior to having children, my husband and I took an amazing trip to Italy. We visited Rome, Florence, Pisa and drove through Tuscany. It was romantic, spiritual, breathtaking and delicious! While walking the streets of Florence we strolled in and out of quaint little shops. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted this ornament and something about it spoke to me. I took this little buddy home and he has graced my tree ever since. I think he even speaks Italian. Buon Natale!
Ornament #5: Crystal Starburst: This ornament was the ultimate score. In the warmer months, I often visit yard sales in my community. There is something about a yard sale that challenges me. I love the idea of checking out someone else’s unwanted items in hopes of finding the ultimate item. This is a Swarovski ornament, which I found in its original box at a yard sale marked for $1!I have had it for close to ten years and it still looks perfect. I think its funky and super cool and the fact that I got such a great deal makes me love it even more. This girl loves a good bargain!
I think I might try to capture and reflect on my favorite Christmas ornaments every year. I’d be interested to see how my “favorite” ornaments evolve as I age and as my children age. My boys are still kind of young so we don’t have a ton of kid-made ornaments yet but I am sure my favorites will change as their artistry grows.
I hope you enjoyed the Christmas Ornament Show & Tell. I encourage you to check out some of the other blogs participating in the Show & Tell. It is so much fun to look at Christmas ornaments and you really learn a lot about someone by how they decorate their tree.
How do you decorate your tree? Tell me about your favorite ornament.
xoxo
Every year, since I was born, I received an ornament from my parents and still do until this day (and so does Noe!) Their tree was filled with both mine and my brothers ornaments up until I got married, which is when my mother gave me mine to decorate our family tree. Every year, we pick up one for each child to open on Christmas Eve and put on the tree. While our tree has the red beaded garland, bows, and glass ornaments, it is primarily filled with my childhood ornaments, our ornaments that we’ve acculumated together and the kids. I am a total cheeseball Christmas junkie!