Ornaments
A couple of days ago Swan made a post about her Christmas ornaments. I liked it so much I’m copying. :-)
It’s all behind the cut because I’m too lazy to crop the pictures properly. :P
Before Master’s mom passed away, his parents used to give him an engraved ornament for Christmas. This one is dated 1979. When we got married, He started that same tradition with our kids and now we give each of them one gold ornament, engraved with their name and the year. They kind of think it’s a bit silly right now, but someday (we hope), they’ll look at these ornaments with the same fondness that Master does with this one.
I bought this when Jes was just a week old. Next year, maybe I’ll pass it back to her for her baby’s first Christmas.
I are the crazy chocolate queen. I have the ornament to prove it. :D
When my kids were little, reading bedtime stories was a nightly routine. They almost always picked Dr. Seuss’s The Foot Book. At some point in the story, I’d attack and tickle their feet. They’d lay in bed, watching me read, all tense and excited, big ol grins on their faces. The closer I got to the tickle part, the more wiggly and giggly they’d get. And when I’d finally grab feet and tickle, they’d squeal loud enough to rattle windows. This ornament was one they picked out for me on a shopping trip because they remember those nights of stories. :-)
This one was not given to me because of the German Pickle Myth, but because I was pregnant (again) and craving pickles (again). I don’t know why but I love this ornament.
My mom bought me this one the year I got divorced and found myself on my own with 2 toddlers and a baby on the way. The legend of having a nest in your tree is that it’s supposed to bring you good luck and good fortune. It took a number of years, but it worked!
Stockings that my kids’ great-grandma made for them before she died. It’s hard to see, but the stockings have sequins and beads sewn all over them. I no longer use them for gifts, I have other store bought ones that I use. These I’m keeping back to give to the kids when they’re older.
My stocking. I heart the Cubs.
Our first Christmas ornament. :-)
The tree is up. I have to redecorate it every morning because the cats think I put it up for them to destroy while I sleep. But, meh, it’s up.
Uncategorized | kaya | 
Friday December 12th, 2008 11:34am
OMG!!!!
I HAS THE PICKLE TOO!!!!!!
SQUEE! Were you preggers when you got it or are you just a pickle freak? :D
We haz pikul!
And my family is German, and none of us have heard of that “German Pickle Tradition.” We just have some very odd ornaments. We have these ones of Snoopy sleeping on a hot dog, and sitting on a slice of pie. No one is quite sure where they came from. It did inspire me, a couple years ago, when I saw these really pretty hot dog ornaments (which I imagine the ornament maker made in a drunken frenzy), to gift them upon my mom, who didn’t quite manage to hide her dismay!
So we have a pickle, hot dogs with and without Snoopy, and various other very odd things on our tree! I’ll send you some pictures, when I go home!
Haha – I have lived on the border of Germany all my life and we have many German friends but I have never heard of the Pickle Myth. But how cool it looks! It would be exactly the sort of ornament for me because I *love* pickles. :)
My parents have the same ornament! The first ornament that you and your master had…. Love the pics
I’m going to live vicariously through your Christmas, if you don’t mind.
My Christmas (stuck at my childhood home), thus far, consists of “Oh hey, the stockings are still up from last year? Well, wow. Does anyone do anything around here? And in related news, good God, when can I leave?”
LOL.
Well, leaving the stuff up all year makes sense. Putting it up, taking it down, putting it up… bah. PITA. ;)
Master and I have no ornaments or tree yet. D:
Also, your kids all have names that I ADORE.
Haha! I have the pickle on my tree, too!
Glad to know someone else remembers family stories and memories by the ornaments on their tree. Makes looking at like looking at a time line. “Oh remember when…”
And I want your chocolate woman. Yum yum yum!
Always:
S.S.S.
i dig your pickle! ;)
We have no tree! And I keep forgetting to put the garland and lights up! *hangs head in shame* But things are crazy around here (Aren’t they always?) and even TSO didn’t boost my Christmas spirit this year. *sigh*
We got a new TSO ornament, though! It’s hot! And signed by the whole east coast band. That’s gotta count for something!
We don’t have very many “special” ornaments, though. Most are just generic balls.
Oh! Pics of Zedd & Co. up over at my place by the end of the day.
Dear Tess,
Up in Marquette (where a good part of my childhood was spent) there was a tradtional “kissie moose” ornament a local family gave us to put on our tree. The little moose head literally holds a hershey kiss and you squeeze it to get the sweet stuff.
It’s one of my favorite ornaments in the 18 boxes of Christmas my mom has. (“But, I rotate it!” is her excuse.) Just this past Christmas I found a “Yooper” ornament in the shape of the peninsula. (Awesome, right?!)
Having traditions to carry to the next family unit is the best part of having a family unit.
Merry Christmas!
Ally
Awww I ♥ this post! Maybe I’ll do one of our Christmas stuff…
We have that very same “our first Christmas” ornament, if I’m not mistaken. :)
Best of the season’s peace to you and to yours, for now and for always!
Seeker
Pickle? I have NOT heard the German Pickle Tradition and my FIL is a German Freak. (Both German and a bit of a Freak).
I love those traditions and I’m glad I’m not the only one who has to redecorate the tree b/c the cat decided to play with it all night long.
Glad to see you in better spirits!
Why am I suddenly craving pickles?
I never know WHAT the hell I’m going to leave this blog feeling…
PICKLES.
Geesh.
I need a fucking pickle.
This year, I’ve hung three red bulbs from a curtain in the kitchen: Voila, christmas curtain! I’ve hung two on a piece of yarn in the other window, and put a piece of glitter at the bottom around the plants. One window has an adventchandlier up and there’s a piece of glitter infront of the TV. Yep. That’s it. Oh, there’s another chandlier, but it’s been out since last christmas, so it doesn’t count anymore.
This year, I guess will be pretty much like last year. My inlaws come over, we exchange presents for an hour, they leave, I cook (boil potatoes, fry meatballs and “prinskorv”), we eat infront of the TV while watching CSI.
The wierd thing? I *love* christmas! Love it! Love-love it! I want the tree, and all that stuff… but… I don’t wanna go through putting it up and taking it down! I’m lazy. And Master doesn’t care about christmas very much.
So we do it our way. ;)
I love the chocolate queen one! I may need to get me one of those.
I’ve loved reading both this post and swan’s. I think there’s something wonderfully solid and reassuring about the continuity of the traditions we hold dear to us in a world where change is ever present and often very fast paced. It allows us a little grounding moment….that even though many things change, some things stay the same.
I love the idea from both of you that one day these decorations will be passed on to your children so that they too may continue the tradition.
Thank you for sharing this with us…..and festive blessings to you, Scott and the children.
love and hugs xxx
Thanks for sharing those pictures. It’s similar to my own Xmas tree. My husband LOVES Xmas, but I’m Jewish and even after many years, having a tree in the house seems strange. I’ve come to think of it as a ‘memory’ tree – we get a new special ornament each year, and can trace back our family history to even before I was on the scene, with handmade ornaments that my stepdaughter made over 30 years ago. It’s nice.
Ah just as I suspected. Cubs fans really ARE masochists! LOL :)
So far we do not have MANY special ornaments… last year M gave me a skiing snowman. Very Posh. This year I just got abck from work.. so who knows…. though the tree has been up since the end of november. Mostly in memory of my kitty. She had to be put down the week before and I felt, seeing as it was such a blast for her to play with… I would put up the tree in memory of her.
As for awesome ornaments… every year when i was young dad gave me disney characters. its awesome…
does anyone else have ornaments from their grandparents? lol.. my great grandma had clip on birds with feathers for tails…. they rock my world.