At our house, Christmas ornaments aren’t a coordinated masterpiece of elegant design. They are a hodgepodge of memories hanging on a tree – and I love them! From the ugly Old King Cole plastic ornament that belonged to my husband when he was a kid that I always manage to hide in the back of the tree, to the baby picture ornaments from first Christmases, to the ones brought home from school, to the ones we crafted together as a family, to the ones given to us by cherished family and friends, every ornament that is hung on the Witemeyer tree carries rich nostalgia.
Because of this nostalgia, Christmas ornaments, especially those made by hand, have always held special meaning to me and are some of my favorite gifts to give this time of year. A couple years ago, when I started my Facebook group – The Posse, a group of us decided it would be fun to do a handmade ornament exchange. It was such a hit, we decided to make it an annual event. This year we had over 100 people participate, including a handful of people from Canada, Australia, The Netherlands, and even Romania.
We share photos of the ornaments we receive, and I am constantly blown away by the talent and creativity of our members. Here are just a few examples:
Aren’t these amazing?
How about these? This incredible artist reproduced two of my heroines and crafted them into paper ornaments. I was completely blown away!
Oh, and if you want to see a perfect example of how NOT to make an ornament fit for a gift exchange, watch me make the worst ornament ever in the video below. Actually, this is a fun video highlighting all the authors (with one imposter) of The Christmas Heirloom. Kristi Hunter came up with this cute idea, and we all got together late one night after conference sessions concluded and recorded the video. We were a little loopy, but we had a lot of fun.
And if you’d like a chance to win some great handmade Appalachian ornaments, a bookish ornament, the actual luckenbooth brooch from the cover of The Christmas Heirloom along with it’s embroidered bag described in the stories, a Christmas cookie candle, chocolate, and a copy of The Christmas Heirloom autographed by all four authors, here’s your chance!
Contest ends tomorrow (Dec 7), so enter soon.
Click here to go to the contest page.
- What are your favorite Christmas ornaments?
- Have a funny/sweet ornament story to share?
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From the first year we married, we’ve always bought a Christmas ornament when we’ve traveled, so I love that when we decorate the tree I remember our trips, whether family vacations or just the two of us. And I love even more that our grown up kids seem to be continuing this tradition on their own trees!
That’s a great idea, Anne! I always pick up a refrigerator magnet when we take trips, but I like the Christmas ornament idea even better. 🙂
My mom was never one to craft until my son was born. She decided to make him an ornament for Christmas. She passed away when he was 5.
I bet you treasure that ornament. What a wonderful memory to have hanging on your tree, Jan.
I’m so impressed by the ornaments made by members of your posse!
My tree is full of ornament-memories, too, and I love it that way.
Aren’t they a talented bunch? I love the wide variety, too. Each is so unique.
Oldest ornament I have is a plain Styrofoam ball with my name written in glitter. It was on the Sunday School Christmas tree when I was 4. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s on the tree every year!
What a great memory to cherish. I love that, Janice!
We put one up every year that I made in Girl Scouts in the 4th or 5th grade. It’s basically a styrofoam ball covered in toilet paper dipped in paraffin wax. The first time I put it on the tree my husband said, “What IS that?!” My boys like to put it right in the front of the tree now!! We always get a laugh out of Mom’s Toilet Paper Ornament. Our other favorite is a Christmas Taco that my son made when he was about 7. It’s not too attractive, but we always hang it on the tree. One of the first questions the college boys ask when they come home for Christmas is “where is the Christmas taco?”
I love that, Melissa! who needs to look for the Christmas pickle when there’s a Christmas taco to find. 🙂
I made a pot pie tin ornament in Girl Scouts that has cotton in the bottom and a scene with two children and a little lamb cut from Christmas cards. Always one of my favorites and my husband’s styrofoam angel with yarn hair. My daughter made the cutest buzy bees out of acorns too!Now, my new Posse bird house!Many wonderful memories.
Those sounds wonderful, Kathleen!