Advent Calendar - December 3 - Christmas Tree Ornaments

(Note: This post was originally published in 2011.)

My family’s Christmas tree was decorated mostly with inexpensive colored glass balls, lights, and strands of tinsel. My dad cut stars—large and small—from sheet metal and we covered them with glitter and hung them.

The piece-de-resistance was the tree topper—an angel made by my mother from a Barbie doll wrapped in angel hair with foil-covered wings! My mother made these angels for all of us girls. Regrettably I no longer have mine—I hope my sisters do.

Stringing popcorn and cranberries always seemed like a major chore to me although I think we tried it when my son was young!

For several years, I cross-stitched Christmas tree ornaments and gave them to friends and family as gifts. I know that my daughter-in-law hangs her ornaments on their tree every year. These are two of the ornaments:

I also made this star which tops my little tree:

I have begun a tradition of giving my son, his wife and each of my grandchildren an ornament each year based on their special interests. The ornaments have included Homer Simpson and tiny six-packs of beer for my son, cows for my daughter-in-law, dance and monkey ornaments for my granddaughter, and football helmets for my grandson.

At right is one of the more unique ornaments I own—received as a gift from a coworker!

The Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (ACCM) gives you an opportunity to write about and share your family’s holiday history 24 different ways during 24 days in December! Learn more at http://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com.

© 2012 Denise Spurlock