Obviously, very few other decorations are out in my house this year, but of course my nativity scene, painted by my mother years ago, stands on the center of my mantle.
Another returning decoration is the Elf on the Shelf. Ours is named Chris. Jack loves tracking him down each morning as he finds new places to hang out, like when he hung upside down from the breakfast room light fixture or in a glass in the cupboard.
What new Christmas decoration have you added to your collection this year? What older piece holds special meaning for you?
Since we are never here for Christmas (we leave on Monday for Washington State for almost a month), I either put out minimal decorations or none at all. This really bothers John. He loves having a Christmas tree. Our home is very small and I don't buy new decorations. I do, however, have many old ones that I treasure. Three stand out as I'm thinking about it: A Nativity Scene that is made up of figurines that are children in a Christmas program; my Hallmark Rodney Reindeer collection (you can see him here - http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=310330396999+&item=310330396999&vectorid=229466) and my snowmen collection. There have been a couple times in my life when I was extremely poor and had no money to buy things. But what I did have were lovely, expensive things that I gave away as gifts. One of which was a Precious Moments nativity with several pieces and another was a beautiful, hand-carved Nativity that my Mom had given me during another time of poverty. I was very happy that I had such wonderful gifts to give.
ReplyDeleteOh, Susie, what a generous spirit you have!
ReplyDeleteI made an impulse buy yesterday at the supermarket -- a long, skinny spray of assorted fresh greens with three pine cones standing up in the middle for our mantle. I have some gold and silver pine cones and red cardinals which I will add for a natural look this year. Hang the crocheted striped stockings, and I'm done.
Old favorite? It's hard to pick just one. I guess it would have to be the manger scene. Our kids picked it out at Sears in our poorer days, so it's not an expensive one. They asked to add figures over the years -- more sheep and camels, a camel herder (??!!), some musicians that look more medieval to me but were in the nativity catalog. As I unroll the brown felt cloth that protects the furniture and unwrap each piece, it brings back so many sweet memories!
My old favorite is a macrame Santa Claus that my mom made for me in the late seventies. He is absolutely beautiful and irreplaceable. He has a beautiful long white beard that's been brushed out and full. I've had to wash him a couple times and he still looks awesome.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite new ornament is the sparkly blue bulb from Bronner's that says, "Our First Christmas as Mr and Mrs Holmes". My hubby says I am a mushy woman. I agree, and yes, I enjoy it.
We have lived a peripatetic life, and have never owned a home, but our Christmas ornaments have always travelled with us. Our two favorite ornaments are bery different. The first ornament on the tree every year is a handcrafted felt Jayhawk which we bought for our first Christmas away from home after 4 years of marriage and always travelling back to home. The other is a small handcarved tryptich of the nativity that my parents brought to us from Oberammagau, Germany. Actually that one never gets packed away-keeps me closer to my parents who are now, sadly, gone.
ReplyDeleteLove the Christmas lodge! Fabulous fun :) Also love the idea of moving the elf every day. May have to give that one a go myself. Great fun for everyone to get involved by giving everyone certain days :) Love it!
ReplyDeleteHaven't added any decorations this year due to a tight budget -- Boxing day and there after may provide a few :)
Favorite old one - not sure I can pick one. The ones that bring great memories are the red apples, glass bells with red centers, the nutcracker and a few other ornaments I put on our small table stop tree as I bought them all in 1986 at the Kathy store in Rottenberg, Germany. It was the year I worked with Billy Graham in Amsterdam and a bunch of us took a weekend trip to Germany. That store was AMAZING!! Over 30,000 Christmas decorations to chose from. We were there for three days and every time we went back into the store you would find something you didn't see the last time! Greta fun telling my kids about that year :)
The only thing new I added this year, is a garland made of handmade fabric stars and beads in a bluish teal theme. I bought it in June at a store called Ten Thousand Villages. Initially I wanted to hang it up in our kitchen, but it ended up over the bar area in the basement.
ReplyDeleteOur Christmas tree is fairly simple with a combination of store bought and handmade ornaments. I have some mirrored ornaments we received at a relative's wedding as a favor. Those are special and beautiful. The most special ornaments come from a Christmas store in Germany. When my kids were 8 years old we went there in the summer time to visit my family. My daughter loved looking at all the different ornaments and Oma bought several beautiful things for her there. I bought this stunning flower,that I love, you clip it on the branches of the tree.
Petra
Apparently many of your readers have been shopping for Christmas ornaments in Germany. How incredible that I, too, have shopped in Germany for my favorite ornaments. They are favorite not because of what they are, but because they remind me of a wonderful Thanksgiving trip to Schweinfurt to visit my sister and brother and law who was posted there.
ReplyDeleteI didn't add anything this year. My most treasured pieces are a green construction paper Christmas tree with blobs of blue glitter with a piece of yarn for hanging. A small Victorian scene framed in gold foil and a pine cone painted white and sprinkled with glitter. My son made these ornaments and decorations in preschool. He's now 39 years old.
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