December 15th - Christmas Decorations

Christmas is all about traditions - and what better way to highlight those traditions than to share the holiday decorations we use during the Advent/Christmas season!

On December 1st, I wrote about our holiday traditions - but mostly highlighted some of the ways we celebrate Christmas; such as visiting the local florist that decorates their windows and inside the store; or gathering after Christmas with those who couldn't be with us on Christmas Day - or even before Christmas, as we did this year for our Thanksgiving/Christmas.  To read that post from December 1st, click here!

Today I want to share "things" -  ornaments, holiday decorations, the tree...

Every year - when my children were younger - I would buy them each a new ornament for the tree.  As the years went on, they would make ornaments, either at school, or church, or some other event; or we would pick out a new one together.  Most years, if I remembered to do so, I would put their names and the year on the bottom of the ornament!

Years later, as they left home, married, had children of their own - they continue the tradition of buying (or making) a new ornament every year.

When I was cleaning out our decorations - I made sure they each received ornaments for their own collections!  Downsizing from a four-bedroom/two-bathroom house to a two-bedroom/two-bathroom apartment makes you clean out as much "stuff" as you can; so my children each also had their pick of other items - like Christmas dishes, snowglobes, and other decorations.

My brother and sister-in-law gave me a two sets of Christmas dishes for a gift one year; I purchased two more sets so we would have a 12-piece serving.  We used the dishes for many holiday dinners until we outgrew our home and needed to get rid of excess stuff...and they were then passed them to my oldest daughter (my youngest daughter received the china my parents bought from Bavaria - they agreed on their choices!!!).

This cute Nutcracker (the larger one) came all the way from Germany - back in 1973 when I traveled back to the USA with my 6-month old son.  My youngest daughter, a music teacher, "borrowed" it Christmas to teach her students about the Nutcracker Ballet. She still displays it at her home, and teachers her own children now!

 It's a little hard to tell from this picture, but this is a big plastic ball of mistletoe with an elf hanging on the end of it.  It belonged to my parents and was passed down to me when they were downsizing!  We had loads of fun getting people under the mistletoe so we could give and get kisses!  My oldest daughter proudly displays it at her home every year now!

 One year I went crazy - or "cra-cra" as my grandson would say! - and purchased a lot of decorations, nativities, salt and pepper shakers, knick knacks, and other things from a company called "Christmas Around the World".  I loved decorating and displaying all of these wonderful treasures.  This snowglobe now sits in my oldest daughter's home during the holidays.

 This may be another of the "Christmas Around the World" items; but is one of the many decorations that my oldest daughter still uses!

This cute little Santa candle holder was a find while shopping one year; this must surely be how Santa looks after all of his hard work!  My oldest daughter has added him to her collection.

And this Santa, checking his list, is another decoration I found one year that my oldest daughter uses.

Since I am playing "catch up" - and tomorrow's topic is the tree...I will save the rest for tomorrow!  Many of the ornaments my kids put on their trees now are some they "inherited" from their "growing up" years; in addition to the new ones they buy each year with their own children!

Hope you'll come back tomorrow to see the tree -




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