For this week’s edition of Works For Me Wednesday, sponsored by Rocks in My Dryer, I’d like to share a holiday tradition that I swiped from a former co-worker. I know that WFMW has been swamped with holiday tradition ideas, but I’m too sentimental not to share this one with you.Growing up, I remember decorating our tree with familiar ornaments every year. Each one held special memories of Christmas seasons of the past. There were the delicate, lace snowflakes that my Aunt made by hand and the old gold garland that I wrapped around my head to pretend that I had long, flowing Rapunzel hair.
After I got married, the Christmas decorations in our new home didn’t hold any sentimental memories for me. It took a couple years to accumulate items that held special meaning, like the “Our First Christmas 1999” ornament that we received as a very thoughtful wedding gift, or our tacky Niagara Falls candy cane ornaments that we bought for Bonus Daughters while we were on our honeymoon, or the Grinch ornaments that Bonus Daughters got in their McDonald’s Happy Meals and demanded to hang on the tree.
Since I’m such a sentimental creature, I started a new tradition for Baby last year while I was pregnant so he will never have that first Christmas without the old familiar memories. We have started an ornament collection just for him. Each Christmas season, we will give him one ornament that has special meaning. The ornament will include the year in which it was received. At the beginning of each Christmas season, we will get out his ornament collection and reminisce about the year he received each one.
When Baby gets married, we will give him his ornament collection to decorate his first Christmas tree with his new family. As he decorates his tree, he will share memories of his childhood with his new wife. Then, he will go on to create new memories filled with love and joy.
Someone hand me a tissue to wipe my eyes, please…
That’s What Works For Me!
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4 comments:
My mom does this for us! I'm sure Baby will treasure this when he leaves the nest.
I really think that is a beautiful idea - I'll definately adopt it when I have a baby. I'm just reaching my first married Christmas and I might even start it for us.
I started doing my own collection in 1995 so I have a few now. I start my kid's personal collection when they are a few years old and I know what they like or have done. This year we bought a baby's first Christmas for my tree, a black Spiderman for my 5 year old, and a gymnastics bear for my 7 year old. Can you tell what they are into this year?
That is a great post. We started that when our son was born too. Each year we tell him about the memories each one brings and a couple years ago he started telling us and adding his own memories that they hold for him. When he gets his own place, he'll get his ornaments and the wall tree we bought for his room.
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