Ornament Anecdote: Day 14

The trio.

Sometimes ornaments get hung on the tree perfectly.

The kids got these three right.

Unlike the silver balls in a previous post that got ganged together.

Oh well.

In three weeks, the decorations will all come down and any attempts at perfection won't matter for another year.

I tried not to do much rearanging this year, unless I saw that the life of an ornament was endangered (branch not hooked properly).
Or too many divas shared a small branch (they each need their space to shine!)

My kids are a huge help and often have more enthusiasm for the decorating task than I do.

And I think they are getting an appreciation for the fragile collection that only comes out once a year.

Ornament Anecdotes: Day 13

This wooden ornament doesn't sparkle or shine like the glass ones, but she makes me smile every year when I pull her out of the box.

Maybe because she is defying gravity.

Maybe because she is the coolest act in the circus.

Maybe because she has big thighs yet still looks good in a short skirt.

Maybe because I wish I was her.

Ornament Anecdote: Day 12

Why a sparkly banana ornament?

Well, doesn't everyone have one?

All of the apple and pear ornaments were bought up before Christmas. The bananas were left because they don't have the same a-peel. (hahaha- sorry, I had to!). After Christmas, marked down 50%, plus another 20% off with my Hallmarker's discount, I am buying. Looks like marzipan!

Yum!

I did limit myself to just one of these.

I didn't need a whole bunch!

heeheeheehee

Ornament Anecdote: Day 11

These are the "expendables".

I don't cry when one of these break.

At least one has already hit the floor this year.

They are not the unique, boutique baubles, but they do still play a role in sparkling up the tree. I snap them up just as readily at the thrift store (by the box or randomly tossed into a "$1.00" bag) as I do an old, rare ball.

I am a magpie attracted to shiny objects when it comes to acquiring Christmas ornaments!

And sometimes I am about as discerning.

heehee

Ornament Anecdote: Day 10

My mother had peacocks, with angel hair tails, on our tree when I was a kid.

I remember that when one peacock lost its plumage and its clip (we kids loved to play with the ornaments!), my mom attached a hanger to its "butt" and hung him on the tree beak downward.

He still shown proudly.

I have 3 (I think-- I buy many ornaments in threes) of these birds and possibly a goose also.

I love that they clip on top of the branch instead of hanging below it.

When a clip fell off once, I made sure to reglue quickly it before the clip got lost.

There will be no "butt hangings" on my tree!

Ornament Anecdotes: Day 9

Not one of the glitzy-er decorations on the tree, but I keep it around, because 1. it is virtually unbreakable, 2. I did the wood burned designs on it when I was 13 years old or so (Girl Scout craft) and 3. being wood, it has an old fashioned appeal.

The first Victorian ornaments were paper.

I bet the second ones were made of wood!

Why my name has an "h" in it?

To Canadians and Europeans, it is THE spelling of that name.

To everyone else I explain, "it's the French spelling".

I was born in Belgium, in a Catholic hospital and the nuns automatically spelled my name that way on the certificate.

Funny that I married someone named Thompson,

where the "h" is also silent!

Ornament Anecdote: Day 8

This is THE Grande Dame on our tree. She is about 3 inches long and over 50 years old. There was a woman in my mom's college sorority (late 1950s) that supplied pink and silver ornaments for the house's tree. When she graduated, her ornaments were left behind. My mom found them in a closet and quietly claimed them. No one cared about Christmas ornaments in June! I have a couple pink balls and small silvery pine cones left (and buy more reproduction pinecones, when I find them), but this pinecone was the only one of its size and color. Isn't it fabulous?