I know talking about ornaments in April seems a little bit weird, but I never seem to post much around the holidays and the closest thing I seem to have for a theme for the A to Z Challenge this year is “things I meant to post about but haven’t.” That brings us to ornaments.
Thanksgiving is definitely my favorite holiday, but
Christmas is a pretty close second. And
I love Christmas ornaments! My parents
don’t celebrate any holidays, so as an adult, I tend to be a bit enthusiastic
about them. Or like a child in an adult’s
body.
I got my first Christmas ornaments when I was 25, and my first Christmas tree when I was 26. I
had moved out and started exchanging Christmas gifts with co-workers and
friends before then, but never got a Christmas tree when I lived alone. It didn’t seem worth it, and I wasn’t even
entirely sure how one went about getting and decorating a Christmas tree. I think that’s one of those things most
people learn as kids and take for granted as adults.
I’ve loved ornaments ever since Nick gave me my first
one. I think the butterfly is so pretty.
My boss, Ginger, gave me this cupcake ornament when I left
my job in SC to take a job in NC.
Nick’s mom gave me this one in 2018, so I got a
hippopotamus for Christmas. Is the song
stuck in your head now?
Not technically an ornament, but Nick’s mom also gave me hippopotamus
lights for Christmas. And they’re pink, which makes me ridiculously happy.
Our friend Martha gave us this one the first Christmas
after we were married. She started
looking for it right after our wedding to find one with the right dress and
tux.
Our friend Alex gave us this one. I call it the Thanksgiving ornament. That means I really like it.
Of course, we have lots of firefighter-themed ornaments
since Nick volunteered with the fire department for so long.
This isn’t technically an ornament, but it is a Christmas decoration. My old coworker EJ gave this to me for Secret
Santa several years ago. Some people
thought it was weird, but I love it.
We usually try to get an ornament on our yearly vacation. Except for 2016. We weren’t planning to get an ornament that
year anyway, since it’s a year we both want zero reminders of. Leaving vacation early as part of a hurricane evacuation sealed the deal on not getting an ornament that year.
This one is from when we went to Atlanta in 2012. It’s from Coca-Cola World.
Quite a few of ours are beach and/or South Carolina-themed. We do love going to Folly Beach
for vacation.
I love getting ornaments.
I love picking them out, and I love when other people give them to
us. It makes me happy to think of the
stories that go with them every year when we hang them up. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of being
given special ornaments. I don’t have
ornaments or decorations from childhood, so I appreciate being given them
now. The stories that go with them may
not be old stories, but they’re part of my holiday story.
What are your favorite ornaments?
Those are beautiful ornaments, especially the pretty hippos... and the hippo lights
ReplyDeleteJayashree writes
You have some lovely ornaments! Valerie
ReplyDeleteYou have some really nice ones, Danielle! Our kids got to pick one ornament per year, often on trips. I’ve given them to the two that are on their own now. My husband and I also did that for ourselves, dating back to the year we met (1984). One of my faves is a penguin.
ReplyDeleteAll the pics of ornaments r so beautiful. Even if I don't celebrate I love decorating a Christmas tree. I used to do it all the time in school! Of all the things I do really love your Thanksgiving ornament
ReplyDeleteDropping by from a to z "The Pensive"
I love ornaments, too, and every year at Christmas I like to tell the stories of where each ornament has come from if I can get my family to listen one more time. Many years, I feature some of my favorites on my blog like you did here.
ReplyDeleteEvery year our daughter’s godfather gave her a Christmas ornament from the time she was a baby. In her late thirties, the tree fell and broke 90% of them. She was devastated. She still mourns that loss as she decorates the tree every year.
ReplyDeleteYou have some beautiful ornaments, Danielle. Every year, I look forward to bringing out ornaments for Christmas. They are like old, dear friends you haven't seen in a long while!
ReplyDeleteLove all your ornaments. I had started giving my kids an ornament ever year when they were little. Somewhere along the line I quit but I really wish I would have kept it going.
ReplyDeleteVery cool ornaments! I really like the pink hippo and lights. I have a lot of ornaments, but we haven't put up a tree in several years, as the girls are both grown and have their own traditions now. :)
ReplyDeleteSorry you didn't get Christmas trees as a kid. The whole process could be an ordeal. (My father gets all sweary when doing difficult tasks, and Christmas tree setup was one of those.)
ReplyDeleteI actually knitted some ornaments. I don't really keep a tree anymore (too much hassle), so most of my Christmas stuff has ended up with other family members.
I really enjoyed this post, Danielle! It reminds me of my mom telling the story of her first Christmas tree. She grew up in the depression so they didn't have much. When she got a job after she graduated, she just loved Christmas trees so that first Christmas she had money to buy the tree and the ornaments. She didn't know how to decorate the tree, not knowing you need to put ornaments all around the tree. She put them just in the front and the tree got top heavy so to speak and toppled over in the middle of the night. Glass ornaments were very popular back then so everything broke. Undeterred, she went out later that day and got new ornaments and learned her lesson on balancing the tree. Every year growing up she always reminded us to put ornaments all around the tree.
ReplyDeleteI like the ornaments you shared here . I like your tradition to get ornaments when you go on a trip (except for that 2016 year!) I've been to some Christmas parties where we've brought an ornament to exchange. That is always fun to see what others like and what you come home with.
My husband's mom loved decorating her tree so every year we would buy her ornaments as a Christmas gift :) It was fun because we lived in different parts of the country so she got ornaments from those areas which she enjoyed.
I don't put up a tree any more but I have given a lot of the ornaments to son/family. My favorites when I did do a tree were snowmen and snowflakes :)
Christmas will be here before we know it and you'll be enjoying putting up your tree again!
betty
I love your child-like enthusiasm for holiday ornaments and the holidays in general. We need more of that in the world.
ReplyDelete