Thursday, December 15, 2011

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY # 8

Tell about your favorite ornament and win a prize.

I love holiday traditions, and one of my favorites is the Christmas tree. Some people have beautiful creations that would warm the cockles of any interior decorator’s heart. Not mine.

Mine always look lopsided, with holes and mismatched ornaments, courtesy of the multi-aged children and grandchildren who put the tree up on Thanksgiving day. The tree sports especially mismatched ornaments. That’s because our tree decorations are collections of favorites from everyone in the family. That includes designs from the sparkly but strange ones spotted at Wal-Mart to the Disney collectibles the grandchildren pick out every year.

I have a few from a friend who sends the official White House ornament yearly. And there are a few other rather fancy ones that caught my eye--hey, G/ma gets to have one now and then. :)

Consequently the tree is a mismash. But I love it that way. Yet no matter what new prize anyone contributes, there are two that hold special place in my heart. Or used to, that is.

When my sons were small, the very first ornaments they chose were wooden figures, representing things they liked. Not Disney. We couldn’t afford that. I don’t even recall where they came from.

One was a band major: a figure dressed in a bright red band uniform with his tall hat and carrying a baton. That son was later to be his high school band’s major (for a short time--guys didn’t do that, you know :>) and award-winner saxophone player.

The other was a little cowboy on a rocking horse. The son who chose that never could say why it caught his fancy, but it did. He did not become a cowboy :>.

In the good years and the bad years, those ornaments were last put away and first put on the next year.

When the boys left home for college or other life in general, I continued to lovingly place those two figures on the tree. They brought back wonderful, nostalgic memories. I wouldn’t trade them for the most expensive ornaments available.

I no longer have them.

Not many years ago, the last time we all were together on Christmas, each son asked if he could take his ornament for his own tree.

I miss them. It doesn’t seem like my tree is decorated without them. Just this year I found myself, unthinkingly, looking for them.

Those were--and will always be--my favorite ornaments. Inexpensive, slightly worn, wooden figures that represented my sons.

I just hope they pass them along to their children.

What about you? What is the story of your favorite ornament?

Comment and win a prize!

6 comments:

  1. I won my favorite ornament from an author. It is a castle and is so beautiful. I put it on my tree every year.
    debby236 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  2. My hubby started buying me ornaments every year so I love those. But I'm like you, Barb. My tree doesn't have a theme...it has everything I've collected over the years. Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without our children's ornaments on the tree. My son's cheesy grin beaming up at me from a wreath made from a plastic milk ring and some yarn. A styrofoam ball wrapped in tulle and studded with bejeweled pins from one twin, and a wooden bear with the other twin's name on it. A cardboard backed Santa face my step daughter's mom helped her make when she was two, and a stocking with Fivel on it for my stepson. Of course now I'm getting them from the grandkids so the collection is growing. There's something about perfectly decorated trees that is so fundamentally lacking in Christmas spirit...in my opinion, anyway.
    Loved the blog, even nekkid of pictures.
    Lori

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  3. Our tree too is a mis-mash of ornaments. Mostly ones that we've bought for our girls. And my favorites would have to be their Baby's First Christmas ornaments. I bought Precious Moments ones for them and still love those:) I'm sure those will be the 2 I miss when our girls grow up and leave home.
    Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  4. My favorite ornaments (sorry I have more than one) are the wonderful ones my kids made at school, especially the ones with their pictures. So special and amazing how quickly they grow. Someday, I'll send them with them to decorate their own trees though, and I hope they keep them as long as possible.

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  5. Cherie - I totally agree the ornaments my kids make are my favorites. It's like every year we can see them grow a little more by what they make.
    I don't really know if I have one favorite but I love the Santa who holds a candle that we put on the top of the tree. Then I've got my manger scene, my snowman, my... well, too many to name!
    Our tree is a mish-mash of ornaments and was when I grew up. My (ex)in-laws always had a tree that looked like it came out of a department store display because it was always so perfect! I wanted my kids to help me decorate so it's far from perfectly decorated but it's done with love and in the spirit of Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  6. My granddaughter just helped me pick the winner by selecting a number and it was number one--
    Debby ---debby236 at gmail dot com.

    Congratulations. Your Jaguar will be delivered tomorrow morning....just kidding :) I'll email you for your address. Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment.

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

    ReplyDelete