“Some Christmas tree ornaments do a lot more than glitter and glow, they represent a gift of love given a long time ago.”
Tom Baker
Christmas has always been my favorite holiday and time of year. Christmas music, decorating the house and the Christmas tree, spending time with family, remembering and celebrating the birth of Jesus, and thinking of the perfect gift for friends and loved ones. I have to admit when my husband and I got married, the holidays weren’t celebrated in a big way until we had our first child. Once our first was born, the youthful side of me came back, wanting to celebrate every holiday and wanting them all to be special. Especially Christmas!
11 years ago, we celebrated our first Christmas as a family of three. That year we received the most wonderful Christmas gift from a friend – a painted clay ornament with all of our names on it. It was the first ornament that included all three of us and was the most special ornament on the tree! We loved the material it was made out of, the fun colors and how personal it was.
That one ornament sparked a tradition for our family. We wanted to get more ornaments like that one, but they needed to be unique and special. We thought, “What if each child gets their own? It could become a tradition!” We found a company called Bronner’s, who specializes in Christmas ornaments. We ordered our first ornament which included my son’s name, birthdate and weight at birth. It became the second most special ornament on our tree!
Two Christmases later, in 2012, we welcomed another addition to our family and of course we had to get another ornament! But this time not only did we get our second son his own baby ornament, we also bought another family ornament as our family had expanded!
This leads us to November 2016, and the day my daughter was born. Shortly after I was able to sit up comfortably after having a C-section, I pulled out my phone and ordered her own baby ornament. And of course, another family ornament as our family had expanded again! I didn’t even wait until I was home – I was so excited about being able to order another set of ornaments and wanted them to arrive before Christmas!
This tradition is one we hope to pass along to our children and grandchildren. There’s something special about pulling out the ornaments each year, and finding the one that belongs to you and you alone! Pulling them out always leads to the stories of when they were born, how much they weighed, and how special they each are! Many thanks to Bronner’s for providing such wonderful memories!
What are your favorite Christmas ornaments and family traditions?
photofilledadventures.com 