Mom made a whole collection of storybook characters from felt when I was a kid. Mary and her little lamb were always my favorite.
Merry Christmas!
In lieu of my usual Wednesday Appalachian post, I thought I’d take you on a tour of our Christmas tree in honor of the day.
While I see the appeal of styled, themed trees, I’m one of those folks who prefers a mish-mash of ornaments each representing memories and stories I hold dear. Here are just a few from this years memory tree.
What’s your favorite ornament?
My aunt back home often sends us one of these blown glass ornaments made in Buckhannon, WV, for Christmas. I LOVE them and may just have to figure out how to display them year ’round.
If I have the story right, my parents painted a great many of these wooden ornaments soon after they were married. I lucked out and got Santa and Mrs. Claus.
I wish I still had the angel from my growing up years, but she wasn’t very sturdy. So now I use this lovely stained glass piece I got in Conway, SC, that was made by George McCorkle. Yes, the guy who wrote “Fire on the Mountain” and was a guitarist with the Marshall Tucker Band. That George McCorkle.
Mom sends each of us a new ornament every year. This time it was a bit of a joke with this glass of red wine–the liquid actually sloshes around in there!
Among my favorite ornaments is this little church that looks so much like Laurel Fork UMC where I grew up. It opens to show a wee nativity.
Love these! I also love the mish-mash of collected ornaments that all mean something. No color coordination for me. Though I have always had certain things I was drawn to. So I finally organized all my ornaments—too many for one tree, anyway—in separate boxes about 5 years ago: the natural world (fruits, leaves, stars, moons, suns, birds, animals); the (ahem) humanoid world (Santas, angels, snowmen); Jamie’s passions (travel, elephants, hearts) (I have picked up ornaments—or things I press into service as ornaments—wherever I travel, so this collection is a history of pleasant trips); and Ireland (in honor of Gerry; mostly green but also red plaid and such). So I rotate a different set of ornaments each year. My fave ornament is the one my father made for my first Christmas—with my name on it in glitter. They had a tradition of name ornaments—a couple dogs had preceded me to the tree, in addition to their own. Now that ornament has lost all its glitter and gold coloring—it’s nearly clear—but it is the ONLY unbroken one from my family. And I treasure it. 🙂
OF COURSE your name ornament is your favorite! Love the idea of rotating. May have to pack up that way this year. We have quite a few owls, black bears, and tea-themed things. I tie it all together with lots of SPARKLE!
Loved this! Thank you!
My favourite ornament comes from the ‘Blue Dog’ Christmas book – it’s a cardboard cutout of Trixie, the famous Blue Dog. Simple, but very appealing.
Love it! Dad’s ornament was a cardboard Santa. Wish I had it now!
We are definitely in the mish-mash, sentimental attachment, family memory school of tree decoration! We’ve memorialized our travels with ornaments, and marked the years. It’s been a bit challenging, since the part of S. America we lived in didn’t always have many ornaments to choose from. It’s not as much of a big deal there. A lot depended on how the economy was doing. Some years, we could recognize the available ornaments in the stores because they were the same we’d seen the year before, but dustier! Wish you could see our tree!
Send me a picture! I got a smaller tree this year and just didn’t have room for everything. May have to scale up in 2014!
The wine glass was Jean’s choice this year. Thanks for the stirring of memories of the ornaments and stockings done when you were young. I think BoPeep is approaching 40!
Ah, so she’s a bit younger than me–she’s certainly held up well!
The painted ones are older. I painted them before you were born.
Thanks for this, Sarah… I may steal your idea for next year (with credit due, of course). I love anything that brings back memories. Those bulbs make wonderful sun catchers all year round. Just get a spool of fishing line with which to hang them. I gave one to a friend this year… she hung it in a bedroom window beside her favorite rocking chair – so she could enjoy it all year. Love you, Toots!
Love you, too! Hanging the balls in a window would be gorgeous!