I'm often asked why I use so many old ornaments and decorations in my holiday decor. I prefer the term vintage as opposed to old, but hey, I'm not the one doing the asking.
Shiny Brite ornaments, kitschy plastic deer, raggedy little putz houses. They all have a special place in my home. And in my heart.
I think I like them so much for the tradition aspect of them. The tying together of generations with a strand of tinsel. A strand of tinsel that's knotted and tangled and maybe a bit discolored, but still amazingly strong and in one piece.
You see, most of my vintage ornaments hung on my grandmother's tree when my mother was just a child. She would chew on the celluloid Santa's boots. And, just like any toddler, stand in front of the tree mesmerized by the lights bouncing off the shiny ornaments.
When my mom grew up and got married, the ornaments were passed on to her and hung on the trees of my childhood. No chewing on ornaments for me though. I preferred candy canes.
Fast forward many many years and the ornaments have come home to my house where they now hang on my own tree for my son to see.
And hands down, my very most favorite part of the holiday season is the trimming of the tree with those old ornaments. It brings back memories of my mom trimming the tree when I was little.
The pulling out of the boxes. The unwrapping of the delicate ornaments. The oohing and aahing over each ornament. The ever important placement of each ornament in exactly the right spot.
My mom did it back then and I do it now. I treasure those memories and I try to decorate my tree with the same excitement, reflection, and tradition.
I hope I'm doing as good of a job of instilling a sense of holiday tradition in my son as my mom did with me.
BTW, I do find a lot of vintage ornaments at thrift stores and yard sales, but those are always packed away in separate boxes from my cherished family ornaments. Don't want to be mixing up my childhood memories with Maggie Sullivan's childhood memories!
Sandy Klocinski
Check out holiday lights in our area. Get in the car, turn on our holiday playlist, and find brightly lit houses.
Francine
Christmas eve pizza
fmd518 at gmail dot com
DeniseL
Our family lets the youngest child place the baby Jesus in the Nativity Scene on Christmas Eve.
dmarie824 at aol dot com
DeniseL
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ellie
My favorite tradition is having a treasure hunt on Christmas morning for the kids. We leave clues around the house they follow to find their big gift.
eswright18 at gmail dot com
Tamara
We always choose a Christmas book to read together and made special holiday treats. 🙂
westiemks5 at yahoo dot com
steve weber
We always watch Christmas movies and eat a bunch of appetizers.
Lisa Brown
I don't have traditions right now, no kids, just my husband and i. we do have a nice christmas dinner for two 🙂
Betty C
One of our traditions is to bake tons of holiday cookies. We always had enough so that anyone who came to our door left with cookies.
willitara [at] gmail [dot] com
Rebecca Graham
We bake Christmas cookies and drive around looking at Christmas lights.
rhoneygtn at yahoo dot com
DistractedMommy
We love visiting train gardens and making cookies!
Shiebs24 at gmail dot com
Erica Best
we love making cookies
steve weber
We go look at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve at Candy Cane Lane.
eliza elliott
We bake and bake and bake!!! I love spending time cooking with the christmas music on and everyone around! truckredford(at)gmail(Dot)com
Gina Wildorchid
We love baking together!
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 AT gmail DOT com
Angel Jacklyn
WE ENJOY MAKING HOLIDAY DINNERS TOGETHER, NOT JUST EATING IT TOGETHER =) [email protected]