A christmas decoration that brings back memories

[joyful]

Do you have a decoration that your parents always had on display at Christmas that brings fond memories and do you have it in your possession now?

Mine is an old church that has a orange light in it. It always was a part of my mother's decorating as long as I can remember and I have it now.

There was also a big vinyl picture of Sants's face that Mom always had on our fridge, we had it until last summer.

[officepro4u]

I have the ornament that my now-husband and I got on our first Christmas together in 1987...when I was 15!!

I have the ornament my parents got me when I first started playing the flute at age 11 or 12...it's an angel playing the flute.

[Holiday]

Oh yeah...I have several ornaments that my Mom always put on her tree when I was little. My Mom went to a pre-decorated tree & I got a lot of those ornaments. Many of them are ornaments she got from her ladies sodality Christmas dinner. I can remember waiting (not patiently...lol) for her to come home so I could see what kind of ornament she got that year & put it on the tree. Many of them are ceramic. Every time I get them out, there is an undescribable feeling/memory for me. I also have an old red plastic & felt ornament of santa waving out the door of his home...to this day, the little house that makes up this ornament is how I picture Santa's house...Lol! I also have an old ornament of Santa's boot I just love. It's funny how those little things bring back so many fond memories!

[kgstyles]

I have this white dove ornament that has been passed through my mother's side of the family since 1890. And I also have a set of 3 minature gold colored Angels, each with a different instrament. My parents bought that for their first Christmas together. Everytime I see those I get that warm Christmasy feeling and it brings back memories and I feel like a kid again knowing it's that time of the year!!!

[Head Elf]

I made a pear in 2nd grade that my mom use to put on her tree every year. Now I have it and it goes on my tree. It's made up of 1 used light bulb wrapped in aluminum foil, green netting over that and then paper leaves. It's quite cute. Then I have some of the ornaments that have been handed down over the years.

[ChristmasLovers]

At my parents house, we always had ceramic things that my grandfather painted, like a Santa cookie jar and some buildings that were the start of a village. This year, I got a candle that I believe he painted, but my mom said my aunt did, but it's still pretty neat.

[kerst]

We only had the classic "balls" for our tree and a couple of feathered birds you could clip on a branch but they didn't survive. My parents still have their nativity which was made from wax and delicately painted. A very nice one really. But the clothes are kind of worn out and baby jesus melted once and had to be replaced so it's no longer complete. So unfortunately there is nothing left really but I've started a nice collection of my own.

[trackrebel]

We only had the classic "balls" for our tree and a couple of feathered birds you could clip on a branch but they didn't survive. My parents still have their nativity which was made from wax and delicately painted. A very nice one really. But the clothes are kind of worn out and baby jesus melted once and had to be replaced so it's no longer complete. So unfortunately there is nothing left really but I've started a nice collection of my own.


i hope U are not mad when I say I had to laugh for a moment about the melted baby Jesus....felt sorry about it, too tho...

The nativity scene from my moms and grandparents...my grandfather made them himself...and they have been there ever since I was born....and that was in 1981....the figures are bought tho....but I love the memories they bring back as well....I always used to play with it, as soon as it was put underneath the tree

[MarthaK]

I now have the nativity scene that my grandmother bought for my parents when they were first married. It's a paper mache set from Woolworth's, back when the "junk" was made in Japan, but a very nice antique-looking set these days.

I remember that setting it up every year was my favorite part of Christmas decorating. When I joined the Air Force and moved to Alaska, Mom shipped it to me and a couple of the sheep suffered broken legs, which were repaired as gently as possible.


I have a few other ornaments that have been collected through the years, including ones I made in school and those made for my Mom, a school teacher, by her students through the years. When I travel I also collect ornaments, so I have memories on my tree of all sorts of adventures.

But above and beyond them all is the nativity set and I still enjoy setting up each year!

[joyful]

Thanks to everyone who posted. I really enjoyed reading about your treasures and to me they are family treasures.

I bought an Avon candle back in the early 1970's that was shaped like a caroler singing with a songbook. A few years ago my daughter asked if she could have it for it really meant something to her and seeing that it meant that much to her, I gave it to her and now she displays it. Even after all these years when unwrapped from the tissue paper the scent is still there. It's not a candle with a wick so that probably was a good thing.

[Rob]

Mine are the Christmas Elves that were popular in the fifties and sixties, that were made in Japan. Some of them were call knee huggers. We would always hang the main elf at the top of the tree, in the middle where he could be seen.

[Ms_Speedy_Elf]

Mine are the Christmas Elves that were popular in the fifties and sixties, that were made in Japan. Some of them were call knee huggers. We would always hang the main elf at the top of the tree, in the middle where he could be seen.http://www.ecrater.com/50179/4891fbbb5f3f4_50179n.jpg (http://javascript<b></b>:showPic('3 Vintage Christmas Elves Elf Shelf Sitters Knee Hugger Red and White CUTE'))

Awww yes,I remember these as I'm a child of the 60's.The neighbor's who lived behind us had these. I saw a big box of them at a yard sale recently.

[Ms_Speedy_Elf]

I don't have any child hood Christmas tree ornaments,but I remember that my aunt had those bubble lights on her tree.

http://www.bettyschristmashouse.com/lights/images/bubble_multi_sterling.jpg

[Holiday]

Mine are the Christmas Elves that were popular in the fifties and sixties, that were made in Japan. Some of them were call knee huggers. We would always hang the main elf at the top of the tree, in the middle where he could be seen.http://www.ecrater.com/50179/4891fbbb5f3f4_50179n.jpg (javascript:showPic('3 Vintage Christmas Elves Elf Shelf Sitters Knee Hugger Red and White CUTE'))

OMG! My Mom use to have one of these! That was a flashback!! :)

[sgrover]

I have an old ornament that was my grandfather's, it was always my mom's favorite, and I feel so lucky to have it. It's very different, an old glass, German ornament, about 3 inches high, a cylinder, but it sort of ribbed, and each layer is a different color. It always has a place of honor on the tree, and I'll always think of the grandfather who died when I was only 4 months old, I was the last grandchild he held.

[Holly11]

I have some bells and a little girl angel ornament that were my great grandmother's. To most people the bells would seem to be "trash" as the paint has chipped and they just look old, not antique, just old. But to me they are priceless. I very lovingly hang these on the tree each year and always am overcome by such sweet memories. My great grandparents "downsized" to a 3 ft tree as they got older and I can distinctly remember it sitting in front of their living room window. I can almost smell my grandmother's famous apricot brandy cakes (trust me, if you opened the door to the room where they were kept you would remember the smell also). What sweet memories. Thank you for such a wonderful thread.

[billweesmom]

I have a red glass ball the says Silent Night on it. It was my Mom's. The letters are white and it reminds me of snow. I can remember looking for it on Christmas Eve and wanting it to be the first ornament on the tree. Now, I always make sure that this ornament is in the front of the tree where I always see it. It just gives me warm memories of past Christmas's.

Karen

cheesy

[judesmama]

I have a little glass bell that was bought the year I was born. My birthday is December 16, so I was only 9 days old my first Christmas! My mom gave it to me when my husband and I bought our home, and I always make sure it's illiminated with a white light behind it on our tree.

[judesmama]

Awww yes,I remember these as I'm a child of the 60's.The neighbor's who lived behind us had these. I saw a big box of them at a yard sale recently.
Oh the memories of those elves! I remember my grandmom letting my sister and me put them up all over her house.. sometimes we put them in such strange places that she'd find them months down the line! hehe:rudolph:

[novelist]

:snowball:My father passed away last october, and my family has been busy cleaning out his house and dividing up furniture, etc. Anyway, my sister told me to take one of the bins of Christmas decorations. I looked at it quickly but haven't takn the timne to go through everything. Some of the things I found were really nice decorations, but i'm not sure if I'll be able to put them out this holiday season or not. i'll wait until it comes to decorating.

[MsChristmas]

Bubble lights! Also when I was a baby my Mom use to make ceramics. She made a ceramic Christmas tree and snowman that lights up. She puts them out every year!

:tree:

[Faith4always]

I knew it was Christmas when we put the tree up!!
But, I guess the one thing that really stands out in my mind is this Santa face we had. You hung it on the wall and pulled a string and it would play a little Christmas song. It seems like the song was...We Wish You a Merry Christmas. I loved that thing!
I also have the nativity I grew up with. After my mom passed away, I inherited it. I love it.
Merry Christmas yall!!

[Sunshine73]

Here are mine:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j245/rscjsc/100_1531.jpg

The Fireplace came from my mother. She'd had it since I was little and to me, it was always such a symbol of the magic of Christmas. During the Christmas season a couple of years ago, I noticed it up on one of her shelves and mentioned how much I'd always liked it. My mother laughed and said it was just a cheap little thing that she'd picked up somewhere so many years ago but that if it was special to me then it was important that I have it so she sent it home with me that night. :)

The Christmas Bears taper candle holder was something my mom bought for me when I was in high school. I LOVE those bears and the first Christmas that DH and I spent together, he BROKE the bottom piece. I was so upset but trying not to be too hard on him...luckily he was able to fix it and you can't really tell that it was ever in three pieces.

[joyful]

awww how nice of your mom to give you the decoration. Your story sounds like my story about the Avon scented carolers that I gave my daughter because it just reminded her of Christmas growing up and now she displays it.

((((((((smile)))))))))

[MerryChristmasLydio]

There are these little ornaments that my mom had when she was a kid ( I Think). Whatthey are are these littl cloth things that you stuff like pillows and then sew the ends together and you have little ornaments. They're like of little people from different countries and stuff. Also these little bear ornaments that use to play music when you squeezed the stomache, but they don't play music any more.:yahoo::p

We use to have a light up star that my parents had since their first Christmas together. Well, I think it was their first Christmas together since they had it. Hopefully if my mom sees this she'll be able to correct me on it if I am wrong.

[MerryChristmasLydio]

I knew it was Christmas when we put the tree up!!
But, I guess the one thing that really stands out in my mind is this Santa face we had. You hung it on the wall and pulled a string and it would play a little Christmas song. It seems like the song was...We Wish You a Merry Christmas. I loved that thing!
I also have the nativity I grew up with. After my mom passed away, I inherited it. I love it.
Merry Christmas yall!!

That's another thing I remember! The little Nativity set.

[wgastar]

My mother had her Christmas Village which she spent 21 years piecing together - a few pieces here and there. She built it a base out of plywood that had all of the streets and streetlights and hills permanently in place. When she died unexpectedly of Ovarian cancer in February of 2000, it was her gift to me because I would come every year and help her assemble it. I didn't have a space to put it out in my tiny apartment but I couldn't bear to put it in storage with the rest of my Christmas things so I kept it by the front door in its original cardboard Christams box decorated with elves and tied up by her hand with twine.

Three years ago I finally moved into an old 1925 bungalow and in 2006 I finally was able to unwrap the village and set it up. When I gave the twine the first tug and opened the lid I was overcome with emotion. I had not felt my mother's presence so strongly since she died. I found myself choking back a few tears as I pulled each piece out and unwrapped them. They had not seen Christmas since 1999. It was odd that I didn't remember a single one of them, but I spent the rest of the night setting it up as best I could. When I was done and had all of the lights working on it - I was shocked to realize that it looked just exactly as I always remembered it.

When my family came over for Family Christmas Dinner on the 27th - which is now the tradition that I host - my step-father's face lit up when he saw it. "Son...it looks just like your mother used to set it up. It sure is good to see it again."

I now start the season putting up the village before I even put up the tree. It goes out the day after Thanksgiving just like my mom used to do it.

[trackrebel]

My mother had her Christmas Village which she spent 21 years piecing together - a few pieces here and there. She built it a base out of plywood that had all of the streets and streetlights and hills permanently in place. When she died unexpectedly of Ovarian cancer in February of 2000, it was her gift to me because I would come every year and help her assemble it. I didn't have a space to put it out in my tiny apartment but I couldn't bear to put it in storage with the rest of my Christmas things so I kept it by the front door in its original cardboard Christams box decorated with elves and tied up by her hand with twine.

Three years ago I finally moved into an old 1925 bungalow and in 2006 I finally was able to unwrap the village and set it up. When I gave the twine the first tug and opened the lid I was overcome with emotion. I had not felt my mother's presence so strongly since she died. I found myself choking back a few tears as I pulled each piece out and unwrapped them. They had not seen Christmas since 1999. It was odd that I didn't remember a single one of them, but I spent the rest of the night setting it up as best I could. When I was done and had all of the lights working on it - I was shocked to realize that it looked just exactly as I always remembered it.

When my family came over for Family Christmas Dinner on the 27th - which is now the tradition that I host - my step-father's face lit up when he saw it. "Son...it looks just like your mother used to set it up. It sure is good to see it again."

I now start the season putting up the village before I even put up the tree. It goes out the day after Thanksgiving just like my mom used to do it.

oh boy...very emotional story...I can just imagine how it choked You up...because reading it...did the same to me

[Holiday]

oh boy...very emotional story...I can just imagine how it choked You up...because reading it...did the same to me

Me too! What a nice story! Thanks for sharing! :smile:

Sunshine ~ I love the fireplace! I have a ceramic fireplace along that same line that makes me smile when I get it out too! :-D

[Ms_Speedy_Elf]

Thank you for sharing your story with us Wgastar.

If you ever get the chance please post some picture's.

[wgastar]

Thank you for sharing your story with us Wgastar.

If you ever get the chance please post some picture's.

Absolutely. I plan on taking some pictures this year when I put the village out. My challenge is that I now have a nine month old Cocker Spaniel so I may have to get really resourceful in the setup this year to prevent any mistakes about what is a toy and what is a village piece!

I am hoping that my sister has some pictures of my mother with the village. If so, I will definitely post those.

[Ms_Speedy_Elf]

I talked to my dad today .He still lives in Indiana .During the conversation I asked him if he said had any of the Christmas decoration's from when my brother and I were little .Sadly he said no ,that he got rid of it all.