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My favourite Christmas ornament is a tatty, threadbare christmas tree made from a block of wood and a handful of pipe cleaners. It stands about six inches tall and is extremely tired and old. It really qualifies for retirement, but Christmas would not be right if my tatty tree wasn't sitting in pride of place on my desk.
Why? Because, once upon a time, there was a little girl and her grandad made her a fabulous wooden doll's house. It had four rooms, a staircase made from glued together matchboxes, carpet and lino made from off-cuts of my Nana's flooring and furniture lovingly crafted by Grandad.
Every Christmas, the doll's house was decorated with miniature paper-chains, sprigs of tinsel and the crowning glory, the doll's house Christmas tree. Christmas didn't begin until that tree was erected in the tiny living room and surrounded with pretend presents for the three-legged cat and assortment of gnomes, trolls and occasional humans who lived there.
Sadly, the doll's house did not survive my children, although I think Grandad would have been happy that it was 'played to death', but the tree and the black, plastic, three-legged cat (who now has half a tail to add to his woes) remain with me. When I put that tatty tree on my desk, wrap it in scraps of shiny tinsel and smile, I think of my Grandad and hope he can see that his efforts were the best part of my childhood and I refuse to let them leave.
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When I was little, I was always inspired by the Charlie Brown Christmas Special each year, and would ask my Mom to find a tree that she thought looked pitiful. In Japanese it's called wabi sabi.
http://nobleharbor.com/tea/chado/WhatIsWabi-Sabi.htm
Our family would add to our ornament collection each year with ones made from scratch. Most of them would be made with simple food ingredients.
My favorite would be making a garland out of popcorn with the option of adding cranberries for color.
After the holidays I would take the garland and leave it outside for the birds.
If we got tired of popcorn, we could always put glitter on pine cones, or dry out slices of oranges. The smell of evergreen and popcorn always gets me in the holiday spirit!
Tags: ornament, christmas
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http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=4965375
After that probably my New York Yankees ornament.
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I have a whole host of tacky and memorable ornaments. I've tried to decorate my tree with ornaments that mean something personal to our family - either symbolizing something about us, or souvenirs from special dates and times.
My favorite one, I think, is from when my husband and I were dating in 2001. We went on a date to this cider mill not too far from our college. Freezing cold day. We shared a cup of chili and then ran into the gift shop to get warm, even though we both had very little money to spend.
There, huddled up, we found ourselves next to a little display of glass ornaments that are made much like popular ball ornaments, but this one was actually a 3-D golden apple. Someone had hand-painted "Uncle John's Cider Mill 2001" on it. So we pooled out money and bought it together.
It's been on our Christmas tree ever since.
...and here it is:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/schumm/3898435594/
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A: Yes.
Q: If so, what is it and why do you favor it?
A: Lights. I like lots of sparkly coloured lights.
http://www.mathgamehouse.com/images/phillryu/toptenscreensavers/sparkly.jpg
http://katelewis.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/lights.jpg
Q: Stories regarding your special ornament are welcomed.
A: During the non-Christmas season my parents would let me use the lights and arrange them sticking out from behind holes drilled in plywood sheets to make my room look like the bridge of the USS Enterprise. Half the time I was evil supervillain Romulin Darak, and other times I was cosmic supersage Vulcan Omicron when me and my friends would play.
Q: A bonus tip to the best picture of an individual ornament.
A: I dunno man... they're actually kinda boring when viewed up close and personal, although they're still kinda pretty when lined up in spectroscopic order.
http://www.orchardshardware.com/images/christmaslights.jpg
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http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41AXPZivUxL._SL500_AA280_.jpg
Source(s):
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41AXPZivUxL._SL500_AA280_.jpg
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Source(s):
My Tree
Tags: centimental, love, family, x-mas
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I still have a paper boot with beans glued on it that my daughter made in first grade that is strikingly similar to the little paper boot with beans glued on it that I made in second grade, which I also still have, thanks to my mother saving it all those years.
What a great question...
My brother buys his mother the most recent Star Trek ornament every year. I asked him once why he did that, and he said it was because she would take care of them, and then when she died, he'd inherit the entire collection...LOL He's a little warped, my brother is.
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Tags: beer, yuletide, pickle
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I don't have any kids myself, but as a child we would also do this kind of an "edible tree." It was fun to get together with the family and make all those cool, creative, and delicious ornaments and then, as Christmas approaches, we were each allowed to pick one treat off the tree to eat each night, grabbing from the back first of course! :-)
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http://image2.onlineauction.com/auctions//14198/ybkf-680077-1.jpg
Unfortunately she broke it last week when she closed the door to quickly it fell off the mantel :(
I've been having a hard time finding one to replace it without paying 50$+ in shipping charges.
Source(s):
Swarovski & Christmas
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Answered Question
M$1.40
September 07, 2009 10:10 PM
Do you have a favorite Christmas Ornament?
If so, what is it and why do you favor it?
Stories regarding your special ornament are welcomed.
A bonus tip to the best picture of an individual ornament.
Stories regarding your special ornament are welcomed.
A bonus tip to the best picture of an individual ornament.
Interesting Question?
Yes (5)
No (0)
Interesting: bunnyphuphu M$0.10, michelleldevon M$0.05, jobrielyn M$0.05, samid M$0.10, witchmojo M$0.10
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Best Answer Chosen by Asker
| September 10, 2009 03:24 PM |
Why? Because, once upon a time, there was a little girl and her grandad made her a fabulous wooden doll's house. It had four rooms, a staircase made from glued together matchboxes, carpet and lino made from off-cuts of my Nana's flooring and furniture lovingly crafted by Grandad.
Every Christmas, the doll's house was decorated with miniature paper-chains, sprigs of tinsel and the crowning glory, the doll's house Christmas tree. Christmas didn't begin until that tree was erected in the tiny living room and surrounded with pretend presents for the three-legged cat and assortment of gnomes, trolls and occasional humans who lived there.
Sadly, the doll's house did not survive my children, although I think Grandad would have been happy that it was 'played to death', but the tree and the black, plastic, three-legged cat (who now has half a tail to add to his woes) remain with me. When I put that tatty tree on my desk, wrap it in scraps of shiny tinsel and smile, I think of my Grandad and hope he can see that his efforts were the best part of my childhood and I refuse to let them leave.
| Asker's Rating: |
• You answered my question suberbly.
It was the type of response I was looking for and you and Michy both demonstrated what an asset the Accentuate team has brought to Mahalo.
I am sure that others took notice as well and it should rub off.
One of my personal goals here is to bring some quality to the question and answer section of Mahalo.
The quality of the product will increase the quantity of the tip.
Thank you for your professionalism, it is a quality I appreciate in all manners of endeavors.
p.s: good thinking adding that dime to gain the points. ;)
Peace
ShadowBear
It was the type of response I was looking for and you and Michy both demonstrated what an asset the Accentuate team has brought to Mahalo.
I am sure that others took notice as well and it should rub off.
One of my personal goals here is to bring some quality to the question and answer section of Mahalo.
The quality of the product will increase the quantity of the tip.
Thank you for your professionalism, it is a quality I appreciate in all manners of endeavors.
p.s: good thinking adding that dime to gain the points. ;)
Peace
ShadowBear
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Other Answers (11)
September 07, 2009 10:40 PM
Perfectionism at Christmas is for the birds... literally! When I was little, I was always inspired by the Charlie Brown Christmas Special each year, and would ask my Mom to find a tree that she thought looked pitiful. In Japanese it's called wabi sabi.
http://nobleharbor.com/tea/chado/WhatIsWabi-Sabi.htm
Our family would add to our ornament collection each year with ones made from scratch. Most of them would be made with simple food ingredients.
My favorite would be making a garland out of popcorn with the option of adding cranberries for color.
After the holidays I would take the garland and leave it outside for the birds.
If we got tired of popcorn, we could always put glitter on pine cones, or dry out slices of oranges. The smell of evergreen and popcorn always gets me in the holiday spirit!
Tags: ornament, christmas
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Helpful: shadowbear
Tip bunnyphuphu for this answer
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September 07, 2009 10:50 PM
We have one of these Hallmark Star Trek ornaments that is still one of my favorites. http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=4965375
After that probably my New York Yankees ornament.
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September 07, 2009 10:52 PM
I sure do! I have a whole host of tacky and memorable ornaments. I've tried to decorate my tree with ornaments that mean something personal to our family - either symbolizing something about us, or souvenirs from special dates and times.
My favorite one, I think, is from when my husband and I were dating in 2001. We went on a date to this cider mill not too far from our college. Freezing cold day. We shared a cup of chili and then ran into the gift shop to get warm, even though we both had very little money to spend.
There, huddled up, we found ourselves next to a little display of glass ornaments that are made much like popular ball ornaments, but this one was actually a 3-D golden apple. Someone had hand-painted "Uncle John's Cider Mill 2001" on it. So we pooled out money and bought it together.
It's been on our Christmas tree ever since.
...and here it is:
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Helpful: tchachra, chriswingate, bunnyphuphu, shadowbear
Tip gno for this answer
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September 08, 2009 05:59 AM
If that's christmas-tree-ornament thinness grade blown-glass... that's really... neat. Huh... interesting...
Hmm... what's odd about that, at least for me, is... at first glance I just thought "tack"... then I looked at it a bit longer... and then longer... and I dunno... is it just me? I don't know if the Uncle John's scipt helps or not, but... hmm... that's really interesting, isn't it... the longer you look at it, the more it holds you. Maybe that's just me.
Carefull... you might have a "Preciousss..." there.
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Hmm... what's odd about that, at least for me, is... at first glance I just thought "tack"... then I looked at it a bit longer... and then longer... and I dunno... is it just me? I don't know if the Uncle John's scipt helps or not, but... hmm... that's really interesting, isn't it... the longer you look at it, the more it holds you. Maybe that's just me.
Carefull... you might have a "Preciousss..." there.
September 08, 2009 01:01 AM
This is my favorite ornament. I got it from a friend who bought it at a discount the year before at an after holiday sale {I think she got it for $5, originally $25 I think} It was the first ornament I got for my first christmas tree for my new apartment after my divorce... Permalink | Report
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September 08, 2009 01:26 AM
Q: Do you have a favorite Christmas Ornament? A: Yes.
Q: If so, what is it and why do you favor it?
A: Lights. I like lots of sparkly coloured lights.
Q: Stories regarding your special ornament are welcomed.
A: During the non-Christmas season my parents would let me use the lights and arrange them sticking out from behind holes drilled in plywood sheets to make my room look like the bridge of the USS Enterprise. Half the time I was evil supervillain Romulin Darak, and other times I was cosmic supersage Vulcan Omicron when me and my friends would play.
Q: A bonus tip to the best picture of an individual ornament.
A: I dunno man... they're actually kinda boring when viewed up close and personal, although they're still kinda pretty when lined up in spectroscopic order.
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September 08, 2009 02:34 AM
PS - those ornament lights are *not* lined up in spectral order... the green and blue should be switched.
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September 08, 2009 01:58 AM
I love the Lucy 5 cents for psychiatric help figurine/ornament. I am a psychologist and I had searched for this ornament for years during graduate school. They stopped making them so they are not easy to find. I really wanted it so bad because I had to suffer so much during school studying and sacrificing. I looked at this ornament as a symbol for my perseverance through this difficult time and as a reminder that I would one day have my own psychological practice and work for myself. It meant more to me than just a cute keepsake. It represents what I do for a living and what I have worked so hard for. Now when I look at it I feel happy and satisfied as I have finally achieved my PhD and my life goal ;) I have a picture of this doctor is in image with Lucy and her advice stand outside my office. Everyone comments on it and says how cute it is. Source(s):
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41AXPZivUxL._SL500_AA280_.jpg
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September 08, 2009 05:13 AM
My favorite christmas ornament that are the ones given from family members each year to add and the ones the children make. They are all very centimental. Dated for each year and some with photos in them. They are great and I love them.
Source(s):
My Tree
Tags: centimental, love, family, x-mas
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Helpful: shadowbear
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September 08, 2009 10:22 AM
Mine isn't so much an ornament is it is something I made - it's a christmas wreath, and every year, we hang it above the fireplace, and on it, I put all the hand-made ornaments my children have made in school over the years. I still have a paper boot with beans glued on it that my daughter made in first grade that is strikingly similar to the little paper boot with beans glued on it that I made in second grade, which I also still have, thanks to my mother saving it all those years.
What a great question...
My brother buys his mother the most recent Star Trek ornament every year. I asked him once why he did that, and he said it was because she would take care of them, and then when she died, he'd inherit the entire collection...LOL He's a little warped, my brother is.
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September 09, 2009 05:40 PM
Thats a very nice tradition Michelle.
I hope that your christmas wreath continues for many generations to come.
We have a simliar tradition.
Its a wreath that my grandmother made from wysteria vine and, might sound strange, braids of her hair. My mother and her siblings all added braids of their own to it, and then it was passed down to my eldest sister. Since then all of my siblings have each added to it. The wreath is passed to whichever of my siblings has the youngest child in their family, who add that childs braid to it. At present it is held by my son who has the youngest daughter in the family, but it looks like he will be passing it to one of his cousins this Christmas because she is expecting a new addition.
Your comment made me make a note to take a picture of our wreath at the family get- together this coming holiday season.
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I hope that your christmas wreath continues for many generations to come.
We have a simliar tradition.
Its a wreath that my grandmother made from wysteria vine and, might sound strange, braids of her hair. My mother and her siblings all added braids of their own to it, and then it was passed down to my eldest sister. Since then all of my siblings have each added to it. The wreath is passed to whichever of my siblings has the youngest child in their family, who add that childs braid to it. At present it is held by my son who has the youngest daughter in the family, but it looks like he will be passing it to one of his cousins this Christmas because she is expecting a new addition.
Your comment made me make a note to take a picture of our wreath at the family get- together this coming holiday season.
September 08, 2009 11:54 AM
Oddly enough, I do have two ornaments, although I never buy a Yule tree. One is in the shape of a full beer stein (surprise). My favorite is in the shape of a pickle. A pickle in the Yule tree is an old German tradition. Or, maybe it isn't. That's the sort of thing that makes a good Mahalo question, in my opinion. Tags: beer, yuletide, pickle
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Helpful: bunnyphuphu
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September 09, 2009 05:47 PM
We enjoy the tradition of the Christmas pickle in our home, have done so as long as I can remember.
heres a link to a good article about the Christmas Pickle.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/88744/the_christmas_pickle_tradition.html?cat=9
Kind of puts a whole new spin on the term "hide the pickle" doesn't it?
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heres a link to a good article about the Christmas Pickle.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/88744/the_christmas_pickle_tradition.html?cat=9
Kind of puts a whole new spin on the term "hide the pickle" doesn't it?
September 09, 2009 06:08 PM
The Civil War story in that link is quite untrue. Trying to research the real story is interesting. May I ask what heritage your family represents, at least pickle-wise?
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September 10, 2009 09:40 AM
@albanian
-quote-
The Civil War story in that link is quite untrue.
-/quote-
What Civil War story are you referring to? Had you read the article correctly you would of comprehended the reference as it stated, and I quote,
"The story goes that some poor German American fellow who found himself in prison after the Civil War was starving one Christmas night and begged the guard to help him."
Now let me break it down for you.
The reference to the Civil War was made in the past tense; hence it would date this story as being post Civil War. This would exclude the story, as told, from being a Civil War story. Therefore it is impossible for you to declare that a non exsistant story be true or untrue based on nothing. There is no Civil War story within that article. So in regard to what you are judging to be "untrue"( I prefer the word 'false' when used in a sentence structured such as your's is; false being more definitive when used in such context) is simply a judgement on nothing.
Also, just so that you are clear on definitions, I offer you this clarification of definition for the word 'story'.
story:
n. pl. sto·ries
1. An account or recital of an event or a series of events, either true or fictitious.
The author of the article did not state the story to be fact, therefore one can take it for what it is, a story, possibly true or perhaps false. There is no way to definitively prove the validity of this story one way or the other.
as to your other request, and I quote, "May I ask what heritage your family represents, at least pickle-wise?"
Of course you may ask, after all you have the right.
I chose to execise my right to deny you that information due to the fact that it has absolutely nothing to do with the content of this thread, but furthermore it is none of your business.
A troll, even with a pickle and a stein, is still just a troll
Shadowbear
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-quote-
The Civil War story in that link is quite untrue.
-/quote-
What Civil War story are you referring to? Had you read the article correctly you would of comprehended the reference as it stated, and I quote,
"The story goes that some poor German American fellow who found himself in prison after the Civil War was starving one Christmas night and begged the guard to help him."
Now let me break it down for you.
The reference to the Civil War was made in the past tense; hence it would date this story as being post Civil War. This would exclude the story, as told, from being a Civil War story. Therefore it is impossible for you to declare that a non exsistant story be true or untrue based on nothing. There is no Civil War story within that article. So in regard to what you are judging to be "untrue"( I prefer the word 'false' when used in a sentence structured such as your's is; false being more definitive when used in such context) is simply a judgement on nothing.
Also, just so that you are clear on definitions, I offer you this clarification of definition for the word 'story'.
story:
n. pl. sto·ries
1. An account or recital of an event or a series of events, either true or fictitious.
The author of the article did not state the story to be fact, therefore one can take it for what it is, a story, possibly true or perhaps false. There is no way to definitively prove the validity of this story one way or the other.
as to your other request, and I quote, "May I ask what heritage your family represents, at least pickle-wise?"
Of course you may ask, after all you have the right.
I chose to execise my right to deny you that information due to the fact that it has absolutely nothing to do with the content of this thread, but furthermore it is none of your business.
A troll, even with a pickle and a stein, is still just a troll
Shadowbear
September 10, 2009 12:01 PM
Because I own one of these pickle ornaments and am interested in German heritage and such matters I naturally researched this legend at length a couple of years ago. I came across the story of the Civil War prisoner and his pickle and also various analyses showing it to be quite unbelievable. The real question is whether the pickle is a genuine old German tradition or whether it was invented as a marketing ploy by the German glass maker that has made them since the tradition became known. I asked about your heritage because whether it is a real German tradition or not hinges upon finding German families who know of it, and in particular locating what part of Germany they may come from. It is definitely not a widespread tradition in Germany, but it may have been local or regional.
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September 08, 2009 05:47 PM
Every once in awhile, I will have a completely edible Christmas tree (the ornaments, not the tree). For garland, of course there is the popcorn and cranberry string and you can't forget about various candy canes. I also use oranges with a ribbon loop stuck in the top and whole cloves stick all over it, which really makes for a nice-smelling fragrance. I also make sugar cookies and decorate them, wrap them in pretty colored transparent plastic tied with a bow and hung on the tree. I will also take candies in decorative Christmas-like wrappers and tape them together with a ribbon stuck in between them from which to hang them (I use Hershey's chocolate nuggets for this myself). I also take red hots, place them in a clear plastic bag and push them all to one corner and tie with a ribbon and hang. I will also make stained-glass candy (which is just plain sugar candy base poured onto a cookie sheet and then hit to break it apart in various broken-glass like shapes) and would hang them as well. I bet if you thought really hard about what kind of Christmas treats you like, you could come up with some way to incorporate it onto your own tree. I don't have any kids myself, but as a child we would also do this kind of an "edible tree." It was fun to get together with the family and make all those cool, creative, and delicious ornaments and then, as Christmas approaches, we were each allowed to pick one treat off the tree to eat each night, grabbing from the back first of course! :-)
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September 09, 2009 05:58 PM
Wonderful tradition.
This tradition has its roots as far back as Christmas trees can be traced.
Thanks for sharing it, I'm sure you've given some folks a great idea to add to their own Tree.
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This tradition has its roots as far back as Christmas trees can be traced.
Thanks for sharing it, I'm sure you've given some folks a great idea to add to their own Tree.
September 08, 2009 07:24 PM
This swarovski piece that me and my brother bought our mom last chistmas. Unfortunately she broke it last week when she closed the door to quickly it fell off the mantel :(
I've been having a hard time finding one to replace it without paying 50$+ in shipping charges.
Source(s):
Swarovski & Christmas
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September 09, 2009 06:02 PM
beautiful piece, sorry to hear of it's loss and hope you can replace it.
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WoW, what a wonderfully written story.
You have so vividly described your most precious ornament that it creates a very detailed picture in my mind of how it looks.The content of your story endears me, as a reader, to the love and memories you have for, not only your tatty tree, but also to your family. It creates a glowing impression of love, contentment, and tranquillity that umbrella's your family and its celebration of Christmas. A profound expression of the essence that is truely Christmas.
I have no doubt that your grandfather's smile shines it's light upon you.
Thank you so much for sharing this personal story of your favorite ornament, may it continue to bring you joy always.
peace
ShadowBear