Not OT: holiday ornaments

Wonderful, Ginger. Our collection of ornaments has many that are handmade from loved ones and they are cherished. Are you remembering to at least put your initials and the year on them? Polly

"Ginger in CA" It is a brilliantly clear chamber-of-commerce day on coastal

Oh, yes! In past years the little beaded ones had a tag with sentiments and my name on it.

G> Wonderful, Ginger. =A0Our collection of ornaments has many that are handm= ade

I think that sounds lovely. I still have every handmade ornament I ever got. Even the ones the kids made in school, nearly 30 years ago. I had a friend once who refused to let her kids put their handmade ornaments on the tree. Her tree was very....ummm..."coordinated" I guess is the word. All certain types of bulbs in certain colors. I thought that was just the saddest thing. A Christmas tree with no memories on it.

Sherry

I can enjoy a decorator Christmas tree. They're okay in their place but their place is not at our house. Back in our younger days, it was fun to rescue the 'fresh' tree that nobody else would adopt and cover it with everything the little folks could create. The last live tree was sort of 'S' shaped and had a really bald spot that gave plenty of room for glittered popsicle sticks and batting snowballs. The funniest favorite is a roadkill armadillo from Texas. One year I think I'll do a tree in taupe tulle. They'll think I've lost my mind. Polly

I agree. Our tree always has the shiny-paper-with-glitter ornaments DS made in kindergarten and the clothespin/kleenex/pipe cleaner angel DD made in Sunday School when she was about 3. The kids are now 39 and 36. :)

Julia > I think that sounds lovely. I still have every handmade ornament I > ever got. Even

Howdy!

When we were putting up the 5 (just 5 this year) trees at church, last week, a couple of the splendid, dedicated decorators worried that the tree in the parlor looked a bit bedraggled and past its prime. As head of the decorating team, I reminded them, "You know what to do w/ a frumpy tree, don't you? Put on more ornaments." We did. More ribbon, more silver balls, more love, "it's all good". Yesterday that tree got so many compliments, and we all just beamed. ;->

I have all the holiday ornaments from a few years of RCTQ swaps; they're all precious. Sometimes they go on the big tree, sometimes I share them between trees, this year they'll go on their own tree here in the sewing den. Can't have too many ornaments; I love those ornament holders made just for hanging the special beauties:

made me some wooden stands, years ago, for holding cookies &gingerbread critters; they're still some of my favorite "trees". R/Sandy

We don't have a "decorator" tree, either. While our girls were growing up, I made it a tradition to get each of them a new ornament every year. That was fine until they married -- and our tree suddenly had very few ornaments left! LOL! I had to run out and buy whatever I could find (no glass, though -- I didn't want grandchildren to have to worry), and those are the ones we use now, along with the few we still had after the "great ornament migration". Oh, and decades ago I made fabric "candles" for the tree. The wire that holds them on the branches is breaking these days, but those candles still go on every year. :)

Next year my tree will definitely be kinda nekkid. In March or April of

2010, we will be packing up and moving to Goergia so that means after this Christmas, I will be separating the kids ornaments to leave with them. Gonna be kinda sad. :(

My tree gets gold bling on it. All gold. Plus some Frankinsense and myhrr. So much gold bling that last year the GMNT asked why we bothered with the tree bit: just heaping all the gold bling in the corner of the room would look like a tree!

Sometimes non gold ornaments go up elsewhere...

Ginger, your post makes me smile just imagining your friends' pleasure at the handmade ornaments. These are the kinds of gifts that are kept in the heart and never go missing.

Hugs, Sunny

This is why I have several trees in my house. The memory tree is in the family room. The "boys" still have ornaments on it from grade school. My mother-in-law gave me ornaments from my husband's childhood. Sorry to say my own mother had themed trees so there aren't any memory ornaments from my childhood.

In the living room is MY tree with all of my elegant handmade ornaments, many of them made for magazine articles back when I was writing and editing for the needlework and craft industry. Some are from my friends in the Society of Craft Designers. I also have purchased some ornaments at craft shows and art fairs for this tree.

Then there are the smaller trees in the kitchen and dining room. Those are themed trees but they don't get put up every years unless we are entertaining.

As much as I like my multiple trees you can imagine which decorations will be going with us to our retirement location. As the "boys" have purchased their own homes I have given them many of their childhood ornaments. Our retirement retreat will probably only have space for a smaller tree but it will be filled with the memories of both my family and the best of my writing career all mixed together.

Now to f>>> It is a brilliantly clear chamber-of-commerce day on coastal

You'll just have to visit them. Kids and ornaments that is. Taria

Well, dang. A swap is something I never thought about. We could do a holiday in July swap next year. What do you think?

G> Howdy!

What a fun thread. I was a florist for many years and had a good

15-20 "decorator" trees to do every season for my boss. By the time Christmas rolled around, I could barely think of putting up one more for our home. Of course I always did and it was by far the favorite with the homemade ornaments from our kids, mementos from vacations, and family times. When the kids moved out, their ornaments went with them too and our tree was bare also. We've slowly replentished the ornaments from trips we've taken. The latest were two ornaments purchased on our trip out east in Oct. from the Wendell August Forge in Ohio. We're still making new memories for our tree and each one I hang brings back such good thoughts. Donna

Howdy!

Would you? Sue DiN.. used to do this one. There were some beauties passed around; some of us kept it simpler, some when all out; I love them all.

R/Sandy

I'd love it if someone took the ornament swap on again. And having it in July would make it quite different.

Lizzy

On Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:08:44 -0600, Sherry wrote (in article ):

Our neighbors and good friends have a tree like that. Pretty, but I think my tree with all the ornaments that came from our families, and the ones we've collected together, and even a few handmade ones from the children of friends will be even prettier.

Maureen

On Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:03:16 -0600, Ginger in CA wrote (in article ):

I bet I could be talked into that one.

Maureen

Well, I can say at this point that I would be happy to host or co-host a swap. Is there anyone who would like to step up and join me?

I remember Sue D> Howdy!

r