UPDATE -- ORNAMENT WINNERS!! Yup, there was more than one winner. You will know if you were a winner if an ornament shows up at your house in the near future. :)
Years ago every Christmas season I tried to come up with some unique Christmas card greeting. I dreamed of making an ornament as well. But as I often do, I dream and don’t do. Then a couple years after we moved to Illinois I was invited by a friend to participate in an ornament exchange. There started my new tradition of making an ornament every year.
This ornament exchange was no simple exchange where you make 12 ornaments and get 12 ornaments. It was a production and a fun one! The ornaments were always thoughtfully made and often had some purpose or meaning behind the design. The ornament exchange was then celebrated at an afternoon getaway. I call it a getaway because the few hours spent at this soirée was a real treat and perfect way to truly feel the Christmas spirit even though it was simply at someone’s home. The first Saturday of December was the usual date and ALL things were set aside for these few hours. Upon arriving we would enjoy cranberry tea, visiting and lovely Christmas music. Everyone was assigned to either bring a salad or dessert. The buffet table of food was no ordinary pot-luck but a true holiday spread. We would play a few fun games and do a simple gift exchange. The culminating event was to go around and unveil our ornament. We would explain why we chose that ornament and any meaning it might have. The memories of our exchanges will always be with me every year at this time. After six years of this tradition life moved on and we moved to Michigan. I had thoughts all year of starting the tradition here in 2007. I even thought about it all year this year as well but. . . Here it is, December 2008 and I did not do it. This is not an event one could pull off last minute. It takes months of preparation so everyone has time to come up with and make their ornaments. Maybe 2009 will be my magic year to start the tradition here.
Each year as I pull out the Christmas decorations I fondly open my special boxes that hold the exchange ornaments. I think of the many friends who shared them and how we are now spread all over the country. I actually need a special tree to hang all of them (and I don’t have one yet). I still continued my personal tradition of making the ornament last year and shared them with family and a few friends. I had always made extras each year and sent them to family. This year I had a small ornament crisis. The idea I was so excited about was not working and time was ticking. In hopes of inspiration and a way to not ruin my fun tradition I went to Joann’s the other day. I was pleasantly surprised by an idea that came together with great speed. My ornaments are done and I’m quite happy with them. Hopefully next year I can make my other idea work.
To my family members who will be receiving one soon in the mail I guess you get a sneak preview. This year I am going to follow in the footsteps of my good friend Heidi who has been giving things away from her blog occasionally. I am going to give away at least one of my 2008 ornaments. To be entered into the drawing, just simply comment on this blog. I will select the name(s) for the drawing on December 15th so that there is time to deliver or mail the ornament to arrive before Christmas. I would love to hear if you have any ornament traditions or if you have ever participated in an exchange. The more comments from different people I receive the more ornaments I will give away!
Not all of my ornaments are the fanciest but I have documented them from the years of this traditions beginning in 2001. Enjoy!
2001 - Christmas Goose, 2002 - Mini Christmas Caroling Book,
2003 - Old Time Sled, 2004 - Star & JOY blocks, 2005 - Christmas Lighthouse, 2006 - Cinnamon Stick and Bead Star
2007 - Small wooden present with thought
9 comments:
Count me in! Maybe next year I'll help you with a party. :)
That was fun to see where some of my ornaments came from again. Most of them are tucked away in a special box with other special ornaments from friends and church that dont really fit my tree theme. They are all waiting for another tree to hang all my fun and special ornaments on. I thought it might happen this year because we bought a new tree last year (after Christmas) and I was going to use my old tree. I guess I am just too lazy and dont want anything else in the way when April moves in. But the JOY ornament has a special place on the door knob of my coat closet! Maybe next year when all the kids will be here there will be a tree downstairs and it will be WONDERFULY decorated! I have a retired neighbor who does intricate woodwork, he does a beautiful ornament every year for the neighbors!
Count me in too! Marcel and I are getting our first tree this together this year... and sadly, we don't have any ornaments. Well I've been trying to build our collection slowly, but we probably only have five... TOPS! Love this idea! You're so great :)
I love the homemade ornaments I get from you. On my tree, all the homemade ones go up first, then the Mickey ornaments, and then, to fill up the tree, the other stuff.
What fun! I just love homemade ornaments. They're often the best ones! I think it's just the sentiments that I enjoy the most.
It's been a long time since I've done an ornament exchange with any of my girlfriends and even longer since I've made any.
When we were first married, we painted some wooden toy ornaments that we still have on the tree. They get put in a special box all by themselves so they don't break. I've done some lace wreaths before...super easy but my girls hated them so they're no longer on the tree...they were good fillers for poor married people at the time.
You'll have to take some pics of your tree and add them to your blog.
me? me? me?
You are so creative!
IT was fun to see all the ones you made before coming to MI!
Post a Comment