Element Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 We've done this for years and it's always fun to look back on previous years' ornaments and remember why we picked out a particular one. In past years, I've made them but this year I just let the kids pick out one each from the store. Ds picked out a wooden bird because he loves birding and dd picked out a cupcake because lately she has been obsessed with cupcake making and the show "Cupcake Wars" (on Amazon Prime.) Tell me about your ornaments this year and/or ornament traditions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 I buy nice photo frame ornaments and put the kids' best Chrismtas photos in them each year. I do this for our tree and for close family gifts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Lava Mama Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 My kids paint an ornament (sometimes many) each year. We have an entire tree full (and more) of hand painted ornaments with each child's name and year/age on the ornaments. The kids look forward to it each year, even my teens! Hot Lava Mama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 Sometimes. I'll give them their ornaments when they move out and no longer come home for Christmas (or have their own tree, even if they do come home). They will get all the ones given by grandmas over the years, as well as the ones I've given. I may part with a few of their handmade ones to me, too, depending on how sentimental they turn out to be. We have a couple of dh's from when he was a boy--I'm not sure how his mom gave them away! I try to keep the tree mostly trimmed with Christian symbols and animals (Creation! lol), but a few others slip in from year to year. I usually find a bird or a beautiful animal ornament for dd and put it in her stocking. The boys, not so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saddlemomma Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 Yes. We still get one for my 23YO Dd. This way we hope they have a nice start for their own family and stories about them to pass down to their kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 It's a combo with us...make and buy. I do try to buy DH a bear* (or 2 or 3, :lol:) nearly every year. Some years I haven't found them, because I waited too long. This year I got them this week and the salesclerk told me them sell out of BEAR and MOOSE quickly every year. *ornament, hahahaha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loowit Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 I usually buy one for each kid. Sometimes they pick it out, but this year I bought some online that are special for them. I try to make them something that reflects what they are into or doing that year. DH's side of the family is big on ornaments each year, DH's grandmother got one for us each year until she died, and now DH's mom does it. They are all very special. It is fun each year when we pull them out. Some are from DH's childhood and are great memories for him even though he typically isn't very sentimental. I have a few that I collected when I was a kid that my mom gave me and some are very special. I plan to box my kids ornaments up when they move out as a present for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 I usually buy ornaments each year that fits my son and husband's interests and one that reflects my husband and I as a couple. I made an ornament a couple years back and had fun doing it, but not that creative or clever so don't think I'll be doing that too often. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momacacia Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 You know, this is a very sweet and wonderful tradition. I love it. I've even bought into it. However, being on the latter end of the 2nd generation of this, it is hard to know what to do with all the ornaments. Some are handmade, some are really cute, some are great memories, some mark stages, one and on. DH and I even have our own ornament traditions we'd thought we'd keep up. But now that our parents did this for us as kids and passed our ornaments on to us, and if we go an ornament for each kid each year . . . well, our house just isn't big enough for all the trees. I don't want to saddle my children, however, with the "need" to keep all this stuff and put it on their trees. To be honest, to me, it almost feels like I'm celebrating our parents' Christmas trees, than our own Christmas tree. Probably I need therapy for this :lol: , and DH is a total romantic about all this family history, traditions, stuff, but ya know what, it's MY Christmas. :laugh: And My tree. I almost wonder if I should secretly dispose of some of the ornaments (fortunately one or two get broken each year) or decide to only put up the ornaments that are only OUR family's ornaments. Call me a scrooge . . . :hat: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 Our tradition is to set up the tree and decor the day after thanksgiving and after we finish everything else, we go buy one ornament a piece for the tree, then come home to s'mores or other dessert and take turns putting up all the ornaments we've accrued on the tree. We do have a few stipulations: No feather thingies (we have cats) No glass/highly fragile items (we have cats and babies) It can't be so heavy/huge that it won't hang on the tree we currently have. (Some of those ornaments are bigger than an adult human head!? And of course toddlers all attracted to the biggest most fragile most feathery thing in the store.) If we couldn't afford to buy individual ones, I'd suck it up and buy the materials to let them make their own unique salt dough ornaments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRG Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 I don't. I bought my oldest a baby's first Christmas when he was born. Occasionally I will pick up an ornament if I see something that he would like. When #2 came along I never could find a baby's first Christmas ornament that I liked, so 3 years later I haven't bought him any ornaments. We've made/painted/picked out ornaments together along the way. I try not to lose sleep over the fact that I've completely dropped the ball on this tradition ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 We buy or make one ornament to symbolize what we want to remember as "the most important thing that happened to our family in 19__" Some years were too sad and some ornaments have been lost, but I still have a lot of ornaments, so I'm not sure if I'm going to continue the tradition indefinitely with the caboose baby or just let him have fun making age-appropriate ornaments and not stressing when they get lost or broken or when the kind of life happens that we don't want to remember 20-30 years from now. The y2K ornament is kind of hard to explain right now and the 5yo always thinks it means "the year we upgraded our computer" because he can't conceptualize the fact that we didn't have ANY computer in 1999! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 I did until they hit about age 10 and took a good hard look at the direction my Christmas tree was going. Hopefully my son's future wives will be very fond of Star Wars and Bionicles. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 I don't *plan* on passing these ornaments when they move out, though of course if we drop dead they can divvy them up and take them if they want then. Many people either buy a taller/fatter tree or have multiple trees. I know someone else who once grand babies started arriving, they started only putting up the current years ornaments Others go the other route, once a kid gets married, they stop adding that child's ornaments to the tree or just stop adding another each year for them. :( I get why, but that sounds so sad to me! My favorite idea though was to hang the over abundance of ornaments from the ceiling! Especially in no walk areas, such as above a stair rail, fireplace, light fixtures like chandeliers and curtain rods. Many years ago I visited an elderly couple and that's what they did and it was just lovely! Everywhere she walked during the Christmas season she had little memories in those ornaments. I just thought it was pretty and asked about a particularly nice one hanging from the chandelier above the dining table we were having coffee at and she rather nonchalantly said that was the last ornament her son put up before he was shipped off to Vietnam and never came home again. Everywhere she walked in her home was memories of Christmas pasts because of those ornaments. Obviously it was a happy memory for her but pregnant me back then was dang near blubbering in my coffee. ETA: anyhow. The point of that story is that's when I decided that buying/making an ornament every year would be a lovely tradition for us to start. I wish we had started when we married, but better late than never. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 This wasn't part of my own childhood, but I've started doing it for my kids in the past few years. They are now 13 and 10, so they missed out on a few years, but better late than never. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinivanMom Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 We have always given each child an ornament each Christmas that reflects their interests. I figure that will give them each 18 or so ornaments to take into their adult life to start their own Christmas traditions, but not so many that they feel overwhelmed or burdened by the tradition. Hopefully 4-5 Star Wars ornaments within the 18 won't be too horrible to any future dil's. I'm intrigued by the idea of being overwhelmed by ornaments or needing multiple trees. Maybe I'm not understanding how other people are doing this tradition. Don't you stop giving ornaments at some point? Don't your kids move out and take their ornaments with them eventually? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 My mother gave us ornaments each year when we were growing up, and now we get ornaments for our boys nearly every year. They have a rather unique collection already. We now also get a family ornament to remind us of the place we were living that year, since it's nearly always different. This year we have a new skeleton from Dia de los Muertos to hang on the tree. Last year was Monticello in Charlottesville, and we have a small collection of Kyrgyz ornaments from three Christmases there, and one from Seattle five years ago when we started the tradition. We'd been getting MOA star ornaments before that, and we have ornaments from friends in Salt Lake and Boise especially to remind us of living there. I need a Yellowstone ornament though. I love all our ornaments and I wish my husband had some from when his childhood. Decorating the Christmas tree is one of my favorite things to do all year. There are so many good memories on our tree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Element Posted November 24, 2013 Author Share Posted November 24, 2013 You know, this is a very sweet and wonderful tradition. I love it. I've even bought into it. However, being on the latter end of the 2nd generation of this, it is hard to know what to do with all the ornaments. Some are handmade, some are really cute, some are great memories, some mark stages, one and on. DH and I even have our own ornament traditions we'd thought we'd keep up. But now that our parents did this for us as kids and passed our ornaments on to us, and if we go an ornament for each kid each year . . . well, our house just isn't big enough for all the trees. I don't want to saddle my children, however, with the "need" to keep all this stuff and put it on their trees. To be honest, to me, it almost feels like I'm celebrating our parents' Christmas trees, than our own Christmas tree. Probably I need therapy for this :lol: , and DH is a total romantic about all this family history, traditions, stuff, but ya know what, it's MY Christmas. :laugh: And My tree. I almost wonder if I should secretly dispose of some of the ornaments (fortunately one or two get broken each year) or decide to only put up the ornaments that are only OUR family's ornaments. Call me a scrooge . . . :hat: I get it, and I don't think you're a scrooge at all. The ornaments that my kids pick out or make each year are for my tree. If they want to take any or all with them when they grow up and move out, they are welcome to do so, but I don't buy anything with the intentions of "saddling" my kids with unneeded/unwanted stuff. As a personal rule, I don't keep anything solely because it has sentimental value to someone else, and I hope my kids will be the same way. Dh and I both have grandparents with a history of borderline hoarding tendencies. If we kept everything they wanted us to have, we would need a TV crew to come dig us out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Element Posted November 24, 2013 Author Share Posted November 24, 2013 We now also get a family ornament to remind us of the place we were living that year, since it's nearly always different. This year we have a new skeleton from Dia de los Muertos to hang on the tree. I love this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Element Posted November 24, 2013 Author Share Posted November 24, 2013 No, and it bugs me when other people buy them for us, because I feel like I can't even if I want to. We have an 18" tabletop tree. And a cat. My mom did it when I was a kid, and our tree got bigger every year. (There's a math problem for you: adding a child every other year and a new ornament for each person each year, by how much must the height of the conical tree increase to keep the ornaments 4" apart? :) ) Most of the ornaments were cheap and IMO unattractive. Now they're in my attic, sporting my hated childhood nickname, along with the ones from DH's childhood and ones people have given us every year, of which I like and use only one set. DS can have the whole pile when he moves out, if he wants, or pick through, or start his tree from scratch. I'm not really attached to any holiday decorations (though our stockings are cute), and Christmas memories are mostly a blur to me. I'd rather have photographs of family members. I'm probably stepping into the "none of my business" zone, but I ask with genuine curiosity and nothing more (feel free to ignore:) Why do you keep cheap, unattractive, unused things that you hate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Element Posted November 24, 2013 Author Share Posted November 24, 2013 I'm intrigued by the idea of being overwhelmed by ornaments or needing multiple trees. Maybe I'm not understanding how other people are doing this tradition. Don't you stop giving ornaments at some point? Don't your kids move out and take their ornaments with them eventually? I only have 2 kids, so it's not really an issue here. We do throw out ornaments occasionally, as many of our handmade ornaments start to fall apart after a few years. I take pictures of them when we make them, so I don't feel bad about throwing them in the trash when the time comes. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 No, and it bugs me when other people buy them for us, because I feel like I can't even if I want to. We have an 18" tabletop tree. And a cat. My mom did it when I was a kid, and our tree got bigger every year. (There's a math problem for you: adding a child every other year and a new ornament for each person each year, by how much must the height of the conical tree increase to keep the ornaments 4" apart? :) ) Most of the ornaments were cheap and IMO unattractive. Now they're in my attic, sporting my hated childhood nickname, along with the ones from DH's childhood and ones people have given us every year, of which I like and use only one set. DS can have the whole pile when he moves out, if he wants, or pick through, or start his tree from scratch. I'm not really attached to any holiday decorations (though our stockings are cute), and Christmas memories are mostly a blur to me. I'd rather have photographs of family members. We do not do ornament exchanges nor do we keep ornaments given to us. Because I agree with you, it's really annoying to be given something you are expected to decorate your house with when it often doesn't fit your style or anything. And yes, most of them are very cheap and tacky. In fact, sometimes the exchanges are set up to actually encourage getting the cheapest tackiest ornaments. Why I have no idea bc I think that's just a waste of money. However, *I* think the key to success with this type of thing is no one is giving this to my kids or us. Each of us picks our own ornament. And tho we don't get the most expensive stuff, we also budget enough money that everyone can find a nice ornament, not just the least ugly most cheap ornaments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kari C in SC Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 I didn't do it in the beginning intentionally with our oldest, but he still had special ornaments that we just got without a plan. Then I had our second child and read about getting them an ornament that somehow signifies their year. When they move out, they get to take them all with them. I loved the idea and started that first year I had her. My oldest was 9 and once I realized he did have 9 ornaments that were special to him, so I guess I had been doing it all along just didn't know it. I always tell my kids I will cry when I pack up their ornaments and give them to them for their grown up home. The truth is that I wish more than anything that my son was here to pack up his ornaments and send home with him. But, that makes it so special to me to keep on picking them out for the other two. And... Well... I still buy my oldest an ornament each year because I am crazy that way. One of my favorite traditions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Element Posted November 24, 2013 Author Share Posted November 24, 2013 We do not do ornament exchanges nor do we keep ornaments given to us. Because I agree with you, it's really annoying to be given something you are expected to decorate your house with when it often doesn't fit your style or anything. And yes, most of them are very cheap and tacky. In fact, sometimes the exchanges are set up to actually encourage getting the cheapest tackiest ornaments. Why I have no idea bc I think that's just a waste of money. However, *I* think the key to success with this type of thing is no one is giving this to my kids or us. Each of us picks our own ornament. And tho we don't get the most expensive stuff, we also budget enough money that everyone can find a nice ornament, not just the least ugly most cheap ornaments. Exactly! My kids have always chosen or made their own (with help from me when needed.) It they pick out something tacky and horrible, it's on them. :D Dd picked out a broken-armed tomato man dressed as a farmer when she was 3.5. It was 99 cents and she HAD to have it. We get a kick out of it every year when we pull out the ornaments because it is so bizarre and tacky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Element Posted November 24, 2013 Author Share Posted November 24, 2013 And... Well... I still buy my oldest an ornament each year because I am crazy that way. One of my favorite traditions. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: I would do the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinivanMom Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 My mother gave us ornaments each year when we were growing up, and now we get ornaments for our boys nearly every year. They have a rather unique collection already. We now also get a family ornament to remind us of the place we were living that year, since it's nearly always different. This year we have a new skeleton from Dia de los Muertos to hang on the tree. Last year was Monticello in Charlottesville, and we have a small collection of Kyrgyz ornaments from three Christmases there, and one from Seattle five years ago when we started the tradition. We'd been getting MOA star ornaments before that, and we have ornaments from friends in Salt Lake and Boise especially to remind us of living there. I need a Yellowstone ornament though. I love all our ornaments and I wish my husband had some from when his childhood. Decorating the Christmas tree is one of my favorite things to do all year. There are so many good memories on our tree. I love this! We don't move around, but we have been buying ornaments to commemorate big family vacations. It suddenly occurred to me that eventually my children would move out and take those ornaments with them . . . so what would I put on the tree? Since then I've been buying Christmas ornaments whenever we go on a memorable trip. I figure that when we are empty-nest our house may be quieter, but we'll have a tree full of memories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 I love this! We don't move around, but we have been buying ornaments to commemorate big family vacations. It suddenly occurred to me that eventually my children would move out and take those ornaments with them . . . so what would I put on the tree? Since then I've been buying Christmas ornaments whenever we go on a memorable trip. I figure that when we are empty-nest our house may be quieter, but we'll have a tree full of memories. I didn't offer the ornaments when my kids moved out. They can have them when I die or move into assisted living. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancingmama Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 I do this. I get something that was important for that year, ballerina for the year my daughter started ballet, cub scout shirt one of the years he was really active, etc. This year my son is getting a school bus with his first school pic because he decided to try school this year. My daughter is getting a jazz dancer with the two dance companies she was a part of this year. Then I try and get a family ornament representing something family. I also try to get the hubby one too. I figured they can take with them any they want but I wouldn't mind keeping them either. The only ornaments on the tree are these and any gifted. It's a tacky, sad little tree but I don't care. As we put them up every year, we laugh and talk about all the memories. Oh, even the pets get them some years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted November 24, 2013 Share Posted November 24, 2013 I found this year's ornaments at a metal art booth at a craft show. They are beautiful. I bought a leaping trout for ds13, an owl for ds10, and a frog for ds8. We buy ornaments until they are 18, then the ornaments are theirs to take with them. My eldest dd, 20, says next year she may have her own tree and then she will take her ornaments with her, but this year she wants to come over and hang them on our tree again. Sweet girl. Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 I buy each boy an ornament every year. Sometimes, they are similar to each other, sometimes they are completely different. I'll be sad when they move out & take them with them, as I enjoy reflecting on memories as I take them out of the box each year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 My tree looks like a Christmas store threw up on it, but I wouldn't have it any other way. We do not buy each kid an ornament each year, but we always buy an ornament when we travel (they make the perfect souvenir) and often when one of the kids does something special. I also cut out each kid's picture from the Christmas card and put it in a frame ornament, so that is at least 3 more (4 if we've been on vacation) each year. They add up for sure, and soon my tree is going to have to be 12 feet wide to accommodate, but I remember the said little naked trees of my single days, when I put bows and baby's breath on the tree to fill in the space around my 3 or 4 ornaments, and am happier with a tree dripping with ornaments. I love taking out special ornaments and remembering why we have them. As the tree reaches capacity, we purge those that are cute but not special. I am otherwise a decorating minimalist and display very few knick-knacks or framed pictures. All of my clutter is confined to the month between Thanksgiving and New Year's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wabi Sabi Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Each of my kids make several ornaments each year plus they end up buying one or two additional that reflect their interests at the time. Also, although it doesn't happen on every trip, we like to get Christmas ornaments at souvenirs of our vacations. I figure that as time goes on the crafting will slow down, some will get lost/broken, and then when the kids are grown there will enough ornaments left for everyone to have a little collection of their own favorite memories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamajudy Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Every year after we get the tree up and decorated, we take the whole crew to Macy's or Pier One and let them each choose an ornament. We have done this ever since the oldest was a baby (of course, I did the choosing then). The idea is that when the kids grow up and move out, they will have a nice collection of their own. I must say that we have a very interesting tree. Probably the strangest ornament is the one my son chose when he was about 4 years old and wanted to be an "army guy" when he grew up. He wanted a tank to hang on the tree, so we got a little matchbox tank and attached a hanger. In very tiny print, the thing says, "Eve of Destruction." A bit odd for a Christmas tree, but he still likes it. He's now a midshipman at the Naval Academy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 When my dd was born we started something similar...hubby is a bit of an artist, so we bought 25 of the same hand-blown clear glass ball ornaments. Every year he had paints the year in pictures on an ornament for his dd. Milestones, HIS memories, how he sees her. We even had a special wooden box made to house them. When she is an adult she will have a full set to sart her own tree, but to me it is a very special daddy/daughter thing. His love for her really comes out in the ornaments and I think it will be very special to her:) We also get one family ornament every year to immortalize the year. Where we are living, a vacation, an event, something to remember that year. Hubby and I started it when we were engaged and have continued. They are more fun and amusing than anything, so our Christmas tree reflects that! No gorgeous, themed, planned trees here, just straight kitsch:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto10blessings Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 When I was growing up my cousins and I exchanged Christmas ornaments every year. I don't use even one of them because I don't like any of them. I had a cat so they must have thought I was obsessed with cats and half of the ornaments were cat ornaments. I'm not a cat lover. The other half were either cartoon characters or just plain ugly. I don't mean to sounds ungrateful, I just don't want those on my tree :) If the ornaments were meaningful I would definitely have them on my tree Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 I buy each of the kids a new one each year, even if it is just from the $ store. Growing up my aunt used to make us each one, in fact last year was the first year she did not make one for everyone. It is so much fun to pull out my special childhood ornaments and tell the kids stories about what my life was like the year I was given each one. I hope they can do the same thing with their own kids one day, they will take their special collection with them when they move out, in the meantime we share stories of memories now as they hang each of their special ones on the tree. And when they have children I will delight in getting an ornament every year for my grandbabies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Yes. They get to pick them. Thankfully they have pretty good taste and there's always the back of the tree if something is really hideous. When I was a kid we made new ornaments every year. Sometimes we bought them too. We moved a lot (I went to 8 schools before leaving 7th grade) so the ornaments help me remember where we even were each year. Glitter painted wooden ones when I was 6, fake stained glass when I was 7, salt dough when I was 8 and so on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoxcell Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 We do both the kids either pick out a new ornament or we buy them one each year, and we also make new ornaments every year. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 I buy each boy an ornament every year. Sometimes, they are similar to each other, sometimes they are completely different. I'll be sad when they move out & take them with them, as I enjoy reflecting on memories as I take them out of the box each year. I had a mom tell me if I was going to do it, buy duplicates of those I really liked so I'd have them down the road. I did get duplicates of their first year ornaments, but didn't keep up with the rest due to the expense. The other thing I did was write short notes to each child inside their ornament boxes every year. They did/do like reading those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Yes, we do both each year. Each kiddo gets to pick out an ornament, and I make one for each of them, also. When my daughter was little, I bought a couple of cross-stitch kits to make clothespin angel ornaments. I just thought they were cute, and I found them on sale for about $2 each. So, I made one for her the year she was two or three, I think. The next year, I made the other one. And, thus, a tradition was born. At some point, I began personalizing them to reflect her interests and activities for that year. I quit buying the kits and struck out on my own. Some years, rather than cross-stitching the dresses, I've crocheted them. (The year I made the Egyptian-themed angel, for example, I crocheted the dress out of gold-toned yarn.) I began adding accessories, and I always try to make the angel's hair color and style match however my daughter is wearing it that year. She LOVES her angels, and looks forward every year to seeing what I make. My son's collection is a little more varied. I more or less alternate between cross-stitching, crocheting and painting for him. But there's no traditional form for his ornament. Some years, it's a cross-stitched design that I make into one of the little pillow-style ornaments. Other years, I do something three-dimensional. One year, for example, I cross-stitched his name and the date onto aida cloth, which I then used to cover the body of a rocket model I made from cardboard. Last year, in order to commemorate our family trip to NYC over Thanksgiving, I made my daughter's angel a little coat that looked like the one my daughter wore on the trip and a teeny purple beret crocheted from embroidery floss to replicate her favorite hat from that year. I scanned and reduced to the appropriate size the Playbill covers of all of the shows we had seen and put a miniaturized scan of the pass from the NBC studio tour in a tiny lanyard around her neck. I gave her a little shopping bag with the logo from the theatre bookstore with scanned covers of the books she'd purchased there sticking out. Well, you get the idea. I did something similar for my son, using a wooden nutcracker ornament as a base. It had a pair of little tap shoes, commemorating the classes he took at the Broadway Dance Center, a pair of ice skates (for Rockefeller Center), Playbills, etc. I haven't yet figured out what I'm doing for either of their ornaments this year, which is causing me some concern since it's already Thanksgiving week. I always hand out ornaments on the night we decorate the tree, which gives me no more than a couple of weeks to make them this year. Eeek! My tree looks like a Christmas store threw up on it, but I wouldn't have it any other way. We do not buy each kid an ornament each year, but we always buy an ornament when we travel (they make the perfect souvenir) and often when one of the kids does something special. I also cut out each kid's picture from the Christmas card and put it in a frame ornament, so that is at least 3 more (4 if we've been on vacation) each year. They add up for sure, and soon my tree is going to have to be 12 feet wide to accommodate, but I remember the said little naked trees of my single days, when I put bows and baby's breath on the tree to fill in the space around my 3 or 4 ornaments, and am happier with a tree dripping with ornaments. I love taking out special ornaments and remembering why we have them. As the tree reaches capacity, we purge those that are cute but not special. I'm with you 100%, by the way. I LOVE our mismatched, chaotic, not-ready-for-Better-Homes-and-Gardens tree. I, too, remember the first few trees I had on my own, decorated with bows made of cheap ribbon and whatever ornaments I could scrounge from the $1 section at K-Mart. (I still have some of those ornaments, by the way, and I hang them most years.) By contrast, our messy, un-coordinated tree looks full and happy and meaningful to me. And it gives me a warm and wonderful feeling to know that our kids will never face that sad, barren tree, since they will take a nice starter kit of ornaments with them when they move into their own homes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 My favorite idea though was to hang the over abundance of ornaments from the ceiling! Especially in no walk areas, such as above a stair rail, fireplace, light fixtures like chandeliers and curtain rods. In years when we've lived in places too small to accommodate a tree large enough for all of our ornaments, I've sometimes strung fake greenery/garland around the living room and hung ornaments from that. Usually, I try to pick "sets" of ornaments to hang on the auxiliary greens, based on color or style or something like that. I actually really like it, because it makes the whole room feel festive and full of memories. Something else we do: We've been collecting the Hallmark Star Wars and Star Trek ornaments pretty much since the first year. (We only buy the ships, not the figures.) A few years ago, I bought a small artificial tree, and we moved all of those ornaments over to that. It's nice, because we don't have to go through the irritation each year of plugging each ornament into the light strand and carefully setting aside the bulb and then taking it all apart to store the ornaments at the end of the season. We just pack up the whole tree each year and stow it. I like this so much, in fact, that I bought a couple more small artificial trees, which I decorate with some of the bulk ornaments we bought early in our marriage to fill up the then-empty-looking tree. I have a couple dozen small hearts and a bunch of plastic doves and some other similar things that we had retired from the primary tree that now have a place on the smaller trees. Unlike our primary tree, which we buy fresh each year and don't set up until about mid-December, the small artificial trees usually come out at the beginning of the season. In our current house, I display them in the front windows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blessed3x Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Yes. We still get one for my 23YO Dd. This way we hope they have a nice start for their own family and stories about them to pass down to their kids. This is what we do for our three kids. Every year we buy, or they choose, an ornament for our tree. When they marry and have their own home, they will take their ornaments and have them to start with. It is also a lot of fun each year decorating the tree as they pull out their ornaments and talk about the memories. Warms my mother heart! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carriede Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 You know, this is a very sweet and wonderful tradition. I love it. I've even bought into it. However, being on the latter end of the 2nd generation of this, it is hard to know what to do with all the ornaments. Some are handmade, some are really cute, some are great memories, some mark stages, one and on. DH and I even have our own ornament traditions we'd thought we'd keep up. But now that our parents did this for us as kids and passed our ornaments on to us, and if we go an ornament for each kid each year . . . well, our house just isn't big enough for all the trees. I don't want to saddle my children, however, with the "need" to keep all this stuff and put it on their trees. To be honest, to me, it almost feels like I'm celebrating our parents' Christmas trees, than our own Christmas tree. Probably I need therapy for this :lol: , and DH is a total romantic about all this family history, traditions, stuff, but ya know what, it's MY Christmas. :laugh: And My tree. I almost wonder if I should secretly dispose of some of the ornaments (fortunately one or two get broken each year) or decide to only put up the ornaments that are only OUR family's ornaments. Call me a scrooge . . . :hat: You could keep YOUR family's ornaments on a tree, then string up some greenery garland around the ceiling or multiple wreaths to hang all the historical ornaments on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saraswati Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 My mother buys the kids ornaments each year. They're always either Lenox crystal or handcrafted by someone. This year, the kids just graduated to their purple belts in karate, so she hired a woman to hand paint caricatures of each of the kids doing a karate move wearing uniforms with purple belts on little ceramic disks. She also has a yearly family ornament done for us as well. Both my parents and dh's parents gave us our ornaments from childhood. We don't put them all on the tree, but rotate them and hang a couple each year. We have fun looking at them every year and telling the kids stories. We also buy an ornament when we travel someplace - those are the most fun for the kids. They get to pulling them out and there's a whole lot of "OOHHHH, do you remember when......?" We get lots of great stories - and so many things that they remember that I've forgotten about! So, I love hearing their stories every year about our travels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Yep - every year since they were born :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rose4 Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 My mom and stepdad buy all the grandkids an ornament every year. We love the tradition and would have done it if they didn't. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMommy Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 I buy them each a new ornament every year. They always get them on the commemoration of St. Nicholas, which is the day we put the ornaments on the tree (even though I put the trees up and the lights on in November). I try to find something that reflects an interest of theirs, or remembers something that happened during the year. They'll get to take all their ornaments with them when they move out, so they'll have a nice start to decorating their own tree. We also make ornaments every year. We've done all different kinds. Those are mine to keep, though. They're far more precious to me than the fancier ones we have! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggie96 Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 We buy a family ornament each year with our names and pet names on it. Through the years babies have been added and pets have diminished. It's a tradition that DH and kids really look forward to--picking out the family ornament. I don't put these on the tree because our trees are small and very non-traditional being hot pink, blue, and purple. :) Instead, I hang the ornaments on the wall making a Christmas tree shape with them. The first ornament is at the top of the tree. It keeps the ornaments safe from kids and pets, displays them well, and makes it easier to see the changes in our family over the years. When I was young, my grandmother always bought me and siblings a special ornament each year, personalized with name, year, and related to our interests at the time. They relate to the kids, but there is no way my mom would part with those ornaments until she is departed. :) We don't celebrate Christmas at her house any more, but when she puts up her tree those ornaments are used. Somehow it makes us feel like we are still kids in her home. I wouldn't have it any other way. :wub: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 I didn't offer the ornaments when my kids moved out. They can have them when I die or move into assisted living. We quit buying an ornament for each child when they reached 21...except, of course, for the just married one...and then the grandbaby ornaments. We have an ornament for each year we have known each other, not just married life, so we have a huge collection. I love the history on our tree...someday when my sons are older, deeply responsible, and other wise mature, I MIGHT consider giving them some of their ornaments. Maybe. Until then I'll enjoy them. I lost my parents young...I only have one or two Christmasy things from their marriage and my childhood. I wish I had more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-bex Posted November 25, 2013 Share Posted November 25, 2013 Yes, I pick out an ornament for each child every year that reflects something important to them from that year. They really look forward to receiving the new ones each year! Sometimes I buy them, sometimes I make them. This year, I ordered from Bronner's - wish I'd done it a week earlier, as I don't think they'll arrive before we get our tree. This is the one tradition I have faithfully maintained each and every year, and I looooove it! It is so fun to revisit the growing collection as we decorate each year. <3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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