Collecting Christmas Ornaments Creates A Roadmap of Memories
By Dorrie Ruplinger
Starting a collection of Christmas ornaments for a child, someone
special, or for yourself can help recreate fond memories each year as
you decorate your Christmas tree.
When my eldest child’s first Christmas was near, I was hurrying around
doing my Christmas shopping when I happened to pass a Hallmark store
that had all their Christmas ornaments prominently displayed in the
front of the store. My eyes were immediately drawn to a “Baby’s First
Christmas” ornament I thought was adorable. I bought the ornament and
decided I was going to give him a special ornament every year until he
was 18 years old.
He’s now 24 years old and is still receiving a special ornament from me
every year. His younger brother and sister have each received a special
ornament every year since they were born too. I planned on stopping when
my oldest child was 18, but when he found out I wasn’t going to give him
any more ornaments he asked me to continue the tradition. He said he
would enjoy receiving an ornament from me every year for as long as I
could do it because he loved how I always looked for something that had
meaning to him.
When he was younger and liked Star Wars, I bought him Star Wars
ornaments. When he started to like computers I found him a computer
ornament. When he started bowling I was able to find a cute bowling
ornament. And during a few lean years our family had, I made very simple
and nearly identical ornaments for all my children. I’ve since made
other handmade ornaments using material that were a lot more expensive
than the ones I used during our “poor years,” yet those simple ornaments
still generate the most conversation and mean a lot to my children
because they know I took the time to make them something.
Since my children were little, they made sure to hang each and every one
of their own ornaments on the tree, having mini-discussions about each
one. When my daughter hangs up her ballet ornament we talk for a little
while about how much she loved ballet when she was younger. When my
middle son hangs up his chilli pepper ornament we typically talk about
how he has a stomach of steel because he can eat (and enjoy) very hot
salsas and peppers. And when they get to the simple handmade ornaments
we talk for a little bit about the years we were very poor. Decorating
our Christmas tree has become a trip down memory lane and it is a
meaningful and special trip every year.
There are thousands of different Christmas ornaments available every
year. With a little bit of looking it’s possible to find an ornament for
just about any subject you desire. Hallmark has an extensive line of
ornaments every year, but that’s just one place to look. When my
daughter started college I contacted the college bookstore and was able
to get a beautiful hand-painted ornament of the school that one of the
art students at the school had created. The college bookstore was happy
to pack and ship it to me.
Craft fairs are another good place to look for unusual and unique
ornaments. The Internet is another great resource to use while on your
quest for special ornaments. Sporting Goods stores are a great place to
find sports-themed Christmas ornaments. Gift shops in museums are
another good place to find special Christmas ornaments. For example, an
air museum is likely to have airplane ornaments if you have someone who
loves planes. Once you start looking, you’re likely to see Christmas
ornaments in many places you didn’t expect.
