8: Make Christmas Ornaments

When I got married, (Which was two days before Christmas, mind you. And, no, I do NOT recommend that! And, yes, I am still apologizing to my family for it!) Mom gave me a pretty cool wedding/Christmas gift. It was a box full of all the ornaments I had made as a child. It even included the set of ornaments I made her when I was 19 years old and in college. That was the year Dad left Mom, and I decided she might want some new ornaments and new memories for Christmas that year.

Every Christmas when we decorate our tree, I love to pull out the ornaments I made so long ago and see them again. Most of them have Mom's handwriting on them, marking the year. I love that because it's a visual reminder of all the little fingerprints she has left on me.

When I had kids, I wanted them to make ornaments each year - for our tree and for the trees of those we love. We started when Katie was about a year and a half old. She scribbled on white paper, which I cut into star shapes then laminated and hung on ribbons. I am careful to make an extra set for her to inherit one day, when she starts her own family and has her own tree to decorate. I also do the same thing for Jackson. And, yes, that means we have LOTS of ornaments to store each year. Oh, well.

We've made dough ornaments, bells, and hand prints. Today, as part of our Christmas Countdown, we recycled some found items from Leftovers and made ornaments with photos of the kids inside. We even added fake snow, which was a big break from the norm for me (I absolutely abhor little sparkly things like glitter). Katie made a set to give to her teachers too.

While Katie wrote the year and her and Jackson's names on the back of the photos, I finished up the teacher gifts I made. They are custom-stamped coasters made from tiles I bought at Lowe's. I think they turned out pretty well.

I hope you're all enjoying the Christmas Countdown. I'd love to hear what you are doing in your house!

Here's the next task on our countdown.