Welcome to another day of Mistletoe Make and Bake.
Have you made any of the wonderful recipes yet?
Today’s designers are
Today’s topic is…..
Holiday Tradition that has to be done no matter what!
When I was married and celebrated my first Christmas as a “grown-up!”, my tree was very bare. I grew up with a mother that loves to decorate. If you stood still very long, she would wrap garland around you and add bows. So I had a hard time with my version of Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree. My mom shared with me many of her ornaments as I made our holiday traditions our own.
I have always remembered stripping my mom’s tree of the decades of ornaments. She would have it no other way. I am a bit more selfish than my mother was. I want to keep my ornaments, so a new tradtion begins…….
Everything Thanksgiving each of the kids recieve a new Christmas ornament with their initials and date on it. Once the tree is set up, they add their ornament to the tree.
As the kids grow up and set up their own homes, they will have their own ornaments to display on their tree. These items are much more than a trinket to hang on a tree limb. The ornaments are full of memories that reflect what each of the kids were “into” that year.
Possibly a Texas Ranger World Series ornament for Grant and Bo this year?
I am known to keep alot of “stuff.” You know those things you accumilate in everyday life, such as
KEYCHAINS
ID cards
(travis is 21 now. I don’t think I could use this Id card to identify him now)
PICTURES
playing ball on the field of dreams!
GOLF BAG TAGS
SPORT PINS and more..
Some years I even get ornaments.
the year we were married
an ornament to celebrate the birth of each of the kids
Gary and I trade ornaments. I get whatever comes with a “meal”,
but I love them just the same.
When the boys collected baseball cards, they gave me a “Head Coach” baseball card.
What do you do with all your treasures? If I can put a hook on it, it becomes an ornament.
I get to enjoy these and many more memories just like me mom did with me.
EACH year we all watch Charlie Brown’s Christmas together. I no longer worry that my
tree looks like poor ol’ Charlie Brown’s.
RECIPE
Each market we have these delicious ginger cookies from World Market.
My recipe for today is for a yummy dip to go along with these cookies.
Love your tradition!! I too get ornaments for my family each year … every member of the family plus one for me. That way when they grow up and take theirs, I'll still have some with memories too 🙂 Thank you so much for this special blog hop!
My daughter has two children…and every year I make an ornament for their tree with their pictures in or on it. One for each child so they can have them when they are grown. Always a challenge to come up with something new. Thanks for the punkin recipe..and all your hard work.
This is such a lovely tradition. So special and will be never forgotten! Thanks so much for sharing and your recipe!
Ohhh I just love your ornaments, for over cough cough sew many decades, each year we seek an ornament that is reflective of what went on that year…YOURS are sentimental..love the ID, reflective, photos of the past, just plain sweet…thanks for the very sweet tour
I love you idea of using all those memory items as ornaments. For years I made a new ornament for each of our kids, nieces and nephews so they all had something to start decorating their "adult" trees. Of course, I had to put the year on each ornament so they can remember how old they were and other great memories of the year each ornament was received.
We have the same tradition! We always say you can never have too many ornaments! Love the dip!
Thanks for sharing!
Love, love, love sll the unique things on your tree! I have given my children ornaments each year, too, and my oldest got married last month so I guess it's time to start moving her snowflakes from my tree to hers.
Wonderful ornaments! I saw the picture of the Oscar Meyer hot dog and remembered how (last year) the mobile passed us on the road! I turned to my husband and said, "we just got passed by a hot dog"! I took pictures!! lol
Thank you for today's post! Love it!
I haven't made any recipes yet, but ooooh, there will be backing during Christmas Break!
Your ornaments ideas are so great. Thanks for sharing!
Our tree is very much the same every year – very country with raffia bows and lots of lights. My mother has given me a pewter ornament from my home town ever since the 1980's, since I am the youngest one in the family. They are added to the tree each year as I get them. I have always given my kids an ornament for Christmas in their Christmas stocking and now my grandbabies get them too. I may have to ask my daughter if we should give the ornaments on Thanksgiving so they can hang them on their tree. Thanks for the suggestion and thank you for the recipe. HUGS… and stitches
I absolutely love your idea of tree ornaments. What a unique idea. I bet your tree looks fantastic when it is all deocrated.
Recipe question – can you substitute ginger snap cookies for the cookies from World Market?
Love the tradition. My mom buys my kids a new ornament every year.
Your variety of ornaments reminds me of my tree – school ornaments my kids made in grade school, etc. Lots of fun every year to see them again!
I hadn't thought of using all those trinkets as ornaments. What a neat idea. And giving the kids a dated ornament reflecting their interests of that year. I'm going to tell my daughter that idea, or maybe Grammie should just do it!
What a wonderful tradition. I love that idea, I think I might just start it in our house as well. Thank you!!
Wow, the trinket idea is fabulous, my kids are going but I can start for my granddaughter, she's 2! And i did have a tear or to as I packaged up the ornaments to go off to their new homes, I so careful bought each year for my kids.
Similar to my tradition of giving the Grandkids each an ornament every year so they have ornament for their own tree when they are out on their own. Thanks for sharing.
What a wonderful tradition!
Love the idea of the treasures as ornaments. good one!
I have done the same thing. Now we need a bigger tree. Thanks for the recipe.
I have collected ornaments for my grandchildren every year (but they don't know it yet!) Thank you for the great recipe! Thank you for sharing your tradition with us!
radition is fun and I like the collection of ornaments. Thank You for the Hop and all the recipes and the fun things
I like to have a new ornament each year too. I like the idea of using just about anything as an ornament as you do.
I've always given an ornament to my children as a keepsake each year.
Liked your ideas for the tree. Lots of memories there. Will try the dip. thaks Judy S.
What a lovely tradition, and what memories your children will take to their own homes (in due time).
Your tree sounds wonderful. Thanks
After I divorced and was starting over I bought a ton of ornaments. To many for the size tree we have. Every year I buy my girls a new ornament too. When it's time for them to have their own trees I think I have a really good start for them.
I love the ornaments! Especially ID cards, that is just so fun!
My family also does ornaments that capture moments. Growing up I was in the nutcracker and my mom every year made me an ornament for each character I played with matching costumes! Boy do I treasure those ornaments! We also get an ornament for vacations like a crab for Maryland.
What a great Christmas tradition, thanks for sharing this story.
We have still have ornaments the kids (now 26 & 29) made in Kindergarten and first grade on the tree. Some have school pictures on them – these are priceless to us! Thank you for the recipe and for sharing about your ornaments and tree.
http://karenstreehousequilts.blogspot.com/
Thank you!
LOVE your ideas for creating ornaments out of mementos – otherwise they just seem to get lost in all the stuff. Thanks for the recipe!
What a wonderful way to celebrate the year! Thanks so much for sharing.
We do that in my family, too! I have ornaments from the early 70s–the tradition must have started when I was 4 or 5. And when I moved out of my mom's house, I already had enough lovely and meaningful ornaments for my little tree. I try to choose an ornament for my kids that represents something significant from the year for them. I really like your idea of using little trinkets from the year as ornaments!
each of my children have their own box of ornaments and take them with them when they move to their own places. I like the idea of using the old school id cards as ornaments. They have plenty of them.
Yum. Thanks for the recipe!
Love your weiner mobile ornament. Thanks for the recipe!
You're a woman after my own heart. Love the story of your ornaments. I love ornaments. I have many bins of carefully selected ornaments and many stories. I thought I was the only crazy person that puts key chains on Christmas trees. But the hook is built in!! Love the recipe too.
Ornaments are always a good family tradition. They bring back so many memories each year. Thank you for sharing your tradition with us. ~Kathleen
Great idea making sets of ornaments for children's future christmas…
I do the same thing! Our tree was so loaded years ago, and now that 4 of the 7 are married, and they have taken their ornaments, things are a bit better for the poor tree 🙂
Great blog! Thanks for the recipe!
The trees that one sees in magazines or stores that are all color coordinated and well planned are pretty, but I prefer trees decorated with homemade paper chains, cranberry garland, and ornaments that have been collected over the years. Some ornaments are store-bought, some homemade, and some are generations old. Our tree may not be the prettiest, but it is full of love and memories.
Thanks so much for sharing your Christmas tree traditions with us! Love that you have put a hook on "treasures" and hang them on the tree. Hope you don't mind that I steal this idea from you. Thanks for sharing with us on the blog hop! Hope you and your family have a fabulous holiday season!
what a wonderful way to bring back all of those memories each year as you decorate your tree. It is truly amazing how quickly the kids grow up
Very yummy dip..Thanks for sharing!
I have handmade an ornament for each of my 3 children and myself every year since they were born. I also add all sorts of 'remembrances' to my tree decorations.
Good dip recipe. Thanks.