Every year the Christmas decorations come out and I feel like I get to take a little stroll down memory lane! Many of the decorations in our house have been passed down from either my mom or my mother in law. I love this because each year I get to remember the memories associated with those decorations or hear memories from my husbands childhood.
For some reason or another I have grown to love ornaments. We have so many variations of ornaments on our tree but each year when we get them out I get to remember all the special people who gave them to us or where they came from. I am going to share with you some of my favorites but to help you start a SIMPLE ornament tradition here are a few ideas:
Buy an ornament each time you go on vacation
Have your children make an ornament each year
Start an ornament exchange and keep the ornaments you receive from each year
Ask your parents or in-laws if they have any memorable ornaments from yours or your husbands childhood.
This is the very first ornament that Cliff made. My friend, Britt, had a craft part when the kids were just babies and we painted their little finger prints on the tree. I almost broke this ornament this year but Alden came to the rescue with some super glue. This ornament may look cheap and like it doesn’t belong but it is one of my favorites. This is the first ornament that Alden and I bought as a married couple. We bought this while we were in Mexico on our Honeymoon. It was at this point we decided that we would buy ornaments each time we go on vacation! This ornament is from Clifton, TX. Clifton is a small town outside Waco but we have so many memories going to Hog Creek Ranch in Clifton as a family. This town also played a fun part in how we named Cliff. We named him after my grandpa, Raymond Clifton, but also felt like it was a perfect fit because we have so many great memories in this town. I love this cross because my mom gave it to me! Every year at Christmas, starting a few years ago, she gives us an ornament (usually a cross) at the dinner table. She wraps it up beautifully and has it waiting for us on our plate. I have kept these over the years and get to think of our family Christmas Eve celebrations each time I put them on the tree!Creede, Colorado is where my husband’s family has a cabin. My husband grew up going there with his brothers and we hope to raise our kids going there each year! This ornament represents the past, the present and the future! This is our most recent addition to the tree! Cliff came home from school last week, marched right in the front door and and hung it on the tree himself. It is front and center and I will cherish this FOREVER!!
