Ornaments as Gifts

I try to do a little bit of Christmas gift shopping throughout the year. Sometimes there is something that pops up and an idea will hit me that it would make a good gift for the daughters and daughters-in-law. At others, I will see something that might be good for all the granddaughters. Then, there are little bits of inspiration for the grandsons or sons and sons-in-law. It might be a handy tool or a kitchen gadget or something for their hobbies and interests. Some of my favorite gifts are the ornaments I pick up each year.

When the youngest two granddaughters were born, they were infants at Christmas time. So, I included a beautiful Wallace Sleigh Bell as part of their gift. Each year I have added a new bell as a part of their gifts. I wish I had done something like this for the other grands but I didn't think of it at the time. Of course, I also wish I had landed on something less pricey for those two now that they are youngsters and have ideas of their own about what a good gift is and it doesn't really include a silver bell for their Christmas tree! Someday, I know, they will be thrilled that we included these keepsakes each year and appreciate their collection but now it is not really at the top of their wish list.

I do try to include an ornament in the other eight grandchildren's gifts these days even though I didn't think of giving them such each year from birth. Sometimes I stumble across something beautiful and sometimes I find something that might be meaningful relating to their current interests or accomplishments. This year, for example, the boys are each getting an ornament shaped like the animal they exhibited in livestock shows. 

     

One year, I ordered ornaments made from photographs of them on the ball field or in the show ring.

     

Both options have been fun ways to commemorate their efforts and accomplishments. For Luci, I try to incorporate the word joy into the ornament because her middle name is Joy and she truly is a joy in our lives.

Those have been whimsical and beautiful and fun to search for each year. For the older girls, I generally try to find something unique and beautiful. (Photos below are linked.)

     

This year I really was excited when I got the sparkling ornaments I'd ordered for them. I wish I had ordered one of each for my own tree! They are beautiful, faceted, crystal ornaments. 

As I am sitting here thinking, I just realized that I could have selected a different ornament with a lily flower on it for Lillie or one relating to a saxophone for Lydia. How fun would that have been? 

I guess I am thinking nostalgically about the different ornaments we have hanging on our tree and how I treasure each one. There are ones that are orange and relate to The University of Tennessee - I am an alumni and Mike is a rabid sports fan. There are ones with cows and a Santa in overalls relating to our farm and the many friends we have made during our involvement in livestock shows. There are all sorts of deer relating to the wildlife around us or gifted from long-time family friends. There is one with a piece of copper that was once part of the roof of the Library of Congress and one from Ellis Island that I picked up while traveling. Each of them were either gifted or purchased as a way to connect us to a memory from the year gone by. 

Sometimes a simple ornament is really a thoughtful and lasting gift that brings a smile to our face and makes us recall those who have passed through our lives leaving an imprint and a smile.