Spray-painted pink pine cones
I finished decorating the Christmas tree over the weekend. Opening up those boxes and getting out the ornaments is like a trip down memory lane. I’ve added many ornaments to my collection over the years, and even deleted a few. But the ones I thought I would share with you now are the ones that I made myself.
I can still remember my very first Christmas tree. I mean the one that I bought myself for my first apartment. I can remember carrying it home (it was small) because I didn’t yet own a car. I must have bought a set of lights, but other than that, the only other ornaments on the tree were hand-strung garlands of popcorn and cranberries. I thought that tree was beautiful.
Lace ribbon bows
After my husband and I moved into our first house, I made ornaments for the tree for two reasons. One was financial, certainly, as we had so many expenses just starting out and Christmas tree ornaments weren’t a priority. But the other reason was that I wanted the tree to be pink- and cream- colored, and this was before the era of decorator trees. If I wanted pink and cream ornaments, I would have to make them myself.
Then, over time, I bought some very nice kits from Mary Maxim catalogues. There were intricate embroidered ornaments, sewn and stuffed into various shapes. A set of glass balls was decorated with ribbons, flowers, and lace. My favorite was a set of lace doilies that were painted with glue and formed into various shapes. Once they were dry, they were embellished with flowers, pearls, ribbon and greenery.
Embroidered heart
Decorated glass ball
Doily ornament
Pearl beads ornament
I went to a ladies’ Christmas event at church one year where we learned how to make a lovely ornament from a string of beads. I liked that ornament so much, I went straight out and bought a spool of pearl-colored beads and made myself a set of twelve! Those ornaments, along with purchased icicles, really transform my tree every year.
Our Christmas tree now has a lot of store-bought ornaments on it too, and they are special for different reasons. But I always enjoy opening those boxes of handmade ornaments and all the special memories that go along with them.
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