Make Your Own Magic for the Holidays
Everything about the Christmas season is magical. Hands down, the best part of this time of year is the traditions we create that make the season truly all our own. No two people do Christmas alike and I love how the internet allows us to share our fun ideas and activities with each other so easily. You can make your December into something that you cherish. If something seems stressful to you, skip it. We are NOT an Elf on the Shelf family. That is just too much for me to handle and I can just let that go, while giggling at the Elf on the Shelf updates from friends on social media. I do love decorating homemade Christmas cookies so I always make time for that. You may have the most intricate elf escapades happening in your home and baking sounds like a nightmare to you. Your holiday traditions will evolve over the years. This year I am going to begin carrying on a holiday tradition my mom started with my siblings and I.
The Tradition of Christmas Ornaments
For most families, the center of your holiday decor and Christmas festivities is your Christmas tree. When I think back on all the memories that mean the most to me throughout all the Christmases in my life, most are in the shadow of a brightly adorned tree. The ornaments are EVERYTHING. My love for Christmas tree ornaments runs deep. My anniversary is near Christmas and the favor at my wedding was a Christmas tree ornament. I have friends and family that still tell me how they love their ornament from our wedding and hang it on their tree every year.
When you give ornaments to others or purchase ornaments for yourself that have meaning or are tied to a special occasion, that ornament acts as a time capsule, taking you right back to that happy memory each year as you pick the perfect spot to hang it on your Christmas tree. I purchase a new ornament for my children each year. We took a family trip to Disney World this fall and I got each of my kids an ornament while we were there.
We all love our ornament tradition. I enjoy finding the perfect ornament for each kid and they enjoy hanging up their ornaments year after year.
The Christmas Box, A New Tradition
When you purchase new christmas ornaments annually you do run into one small issue, you run out of room on your tree. My mom had a sweet and brilliant solution to this overcrowding problem. She put together a Christmas box for each of her children. As the tree got too full, she began selecting ornaments to put away in a special box for each of us.
When we moved into a home of our own, she gave us our Christmas box to use to decorate with that first year. I have the personalized ornaments I received growing up, along with ornaments that she had retired over the years. I have ornaments she got when she and my dad were first married, that were handmade by my aunt! I think I’ve put this felt star and crocheted Bert on a Christmas tree every year of my life (I think my sister has Ernie)! .
My tree is pretty full with four kids getting personalized Christmas ornaments and other special ornaments. I have four pretty boxes now, one for each Luke kid and I have chosen a couple older ornaments to place inside their box.
This Christmas tradition is something new for me to look forward to each year. The process of picking which ornaments to retire to the boxes was bittersweet. I got to relive the stories behind those ornaments. It brought into focus how quickly my children are growing up. I can see the changes from year to year as I hold each ornament in my hand. It is also sweet to have a moment to honor my dreams for their futures as I begin to fill these boxes. I imagine them decorating their first Christmas tree with their ornaments and looking back on all our traditions with a smile. Christmas is all about love and I want my kids to know that I have loved them every step of the way when they remember the stories behind their ornaments saved over the years in their Christmas boxes.
Personalized Christmas Ornaments
I like their ornaments to represent something significant for each child that year. If an ornament isn’t personalized, I usually find a place somewhere to put their initials and the year, just so we can remember whose it is and when it was given. Personalized Christmas ornaments represent a story for your child in a way that no ordinary ornament can. My love for Christmas ornaments inspired me to create my own line of personalized Christmas ornaments this year. These frosted glass ornaments are all personalized. The design is fused into the glass (no stickers or decals that will be peeling off in a few years) making them keepsakes that will last for a very long time!
Each personalized Christmas ornament is ready to give as a gift, arriving in a pretty gift box. Shipping is free and quick, and the production time on these custom pieces is 5 – 7 days during December. I recommend ordering before December 10 to take advantage of free shipping and still have your ornament by Christmas.
I have one customer who already ordered the baseball Christmas ornament because 2018 was the year her son started playing baseball and became obsessed with the game.
Did you daughter win a big dance competition this year? I have four gorgeous dancer designs to choose from that will be customized with her name and the year.
I will never forget the sheer joy of my first Christmas as a newlywed and with that in mind, I have two designs for a couple’s first Christmas together: this black and white check and this vintage truck design.
Your first Christmas as a family of three is something worth cherishing. My Baby’s First Christmas ornaments was actually the first design created for this new line of ornaments.
Expectant families can commemorate the anticipation of a child on the way with this pregnancy reveal ornament. Give this ornament as a gift to grandparents to be to announce your pregnancy. (Seriously, someone do that and take a video of the reveal for me!)
As you can tell, I am passionate about the art of Christmas ornaments and if you have something extra unique in mind, let’s chat. I would be honored to create something completely custom for you.
Your personalized Christmas ornament should tell a story. You can tell the story of something that happened this year or you can simply tell the story of how much you love someone with a carefully chosen ornament. I know the day I give each of my children their Christmas box of ornaments when they are adults will be a special day that will create a memory as powerful as all the memories contained in those little ornaments that I will begin tucking away into boxes this holiday season.
what do you think?