My favorite Christmas ornaments...........

I love christmas ornaments. I love how I remember each one, where it came from and the time in which it was received. Our tree is, well, kind of an eclectic mumble- but I love it. And every year, as we hang the ornaments, I relive each one. Dan always says "You girls better remember all this, because I never will".

My friend Ronda did a post on her favorite ornaments. I'm totally copying.

The first is this beautiful handpainted hippo ornament. I was pregnant with Emily. It reminds me of her.

This was bought the same day as the hippo- it was for Allyson. I used to call her Alligator.
This was given to us the first Christmas we lived in this house by our brand new neighbors. She made it, and it's special to me because she wanted to give it to me.

This was given to me in a set (who knows where the rest have ended up) by my Aunt Ruthie. It was the year her daughter, my cousin, had died and I helped her to set up her Christmas tree. I can't imagine her grief. I was young- like 10ish? Those ornaments were very special to me then, and still are (even though there is just a couple left now).

This reminds me of my sweet little babies.
I could fill the entire internet with pictures of the kids homemade ornaments, so I will limit myself. Allyson made this when she was four. Emily was a baby. It reminds me of that year, and all the wonderfulness of it.
This is a strange little bahamian dude. It was a keychain that we bought at the straw market on our honeymoon in the Bahamas. It was awesome.Our first christmas ornament. My mom gave it to us. We hang it together, as the last ornament, every year. And always will.These two pictures go together. Allyson bit into one of the handblown soldiers when she was two and had to make a trip to the ER to check for glass. (notice the gold horn in the same photo, that is the ornament I took a bite of when I was a kid- them apples don't fall far!)
And this is the one that Emily bit into one year at Christmas. Same thing- trip to the ER to check for glass. (and tricky me, check out Emily's ornament she made in preschool last year snuggled in the back there :)

Hanging from the center of the tree is a large nail, like the ones that Jesus was probably crucified with. We hang it every year- as a reminder of the gift that he gave to us.

There are tons more. Lots of handmade special ones, some from childhood, some more recent, some by my small handed creatures. All special. All with a story. Sam managed to tip our tree over (imagine that) so they are all mixed up now.

I was looking for Allysons first christmas ornament. I had it engraved for her in the mall. I was a new mom, and forgot to have the year put on it. I was devastated. My dad used his tool (whatever kind it was- that is not my thing, okay?) and added '1999' to the back. He died the next summer. It's very special to me.

There are also several handpainted ones given to us as a wedding gift, such a nice gift.

So that's it- just a few of my favorites. Next year, maybe I'll pick a few different ones to tell you about.

Merry Christmas