More Christmas - Ornaments

khill86 · October 2013

Do you guys do an ornament every year for your kids? What do you typically do? My mom always bought us those gaudy Hallmark ornaments and I don't like them and have politely declined to take them off her hands.

I feel like the motherly thing to do is get an ornament for DS every Christmas, though. However, I don't want knicky knacky crap on my perfectly decorated Christmas tree. I'm thinking of buying a little 4' tree to decorate for him, with his annual ornaments. I kind of shat the bed on last Christmas. I didn't get an ornament for him. I had good intentions to do his hand print on a glass ball, but... well I didn't. Thankfully we got a couple little things for him from other people. This year, I'm thinking of turning a shoe from his first pair into an ornament. So something to represent the year.

If you buy ornaments for your kid(s) every year, what do you get? Something simple (a glass ornament with their name and year, etc), something they choose (a character they like), something homemade, some that represents the year?

notkateanymore · October 2013

My mother buys both DD and myself a Christopher Radko each year. I also buy DD one.

Allycat11 · October 2013

My mom bought us each a Hallmark ornament every year that represented something we were into at the time, I plan to continue the tradition with DD. Actually we still get an ornament from her every year. This year will be easy for us because it will be a first Christmas ornament.

spring_time · October 2013

Hav=Fath said:

KateMW said:

My mother buys both DD and myself a Christopher Radko each year. I also buy DD one.

And I think it's really sad for your mom to have bought you an ornament every year, something that I bet reminded her of you and something she probably put a lot of thought into at the time and for you to tell her you don't want them.

I agree with this. Sometimes you just take them because it makes the other person feel like their thoughtfulness over 18 years is appreciated. I get not wanting them on your tree, my mom has a beautifully decorated tree. However, when we were younger, the tree was filled with our special ornaments. Just take the ornaments, I have to imagine your mom's feelings are hurt.

Yes, I get my kids ornaments. I usually get something that they are currently into. Year 1 was a rocking horse, then he got an Elmo, last year was Thomas, this year will be a pirate ship. I am starting DDs collection this year.

id012 · October 2013

I buy ordements all through out the year when we travel or whatever. I have quit a few for ds who is only 2. I just buy something i think he will like.

Our tree has all different stuff on it. Its not really coordinated at all. I used to.decorate trees for a living, it used to make me sad to these trees with all these ordements that mean nothing to them. While i.think.they lok beautiful it just doesnt feel homie at all.

Our tree tells a story.

sometimesalwayschaotic · October 2013

We are not doing the ornament a year tradition. My husband's mom did this and now he has a huge box of ornaments that we're not quite sure what to do with. I get the thoughtfulness of it but also think that it's a lot of money to spend on something. MIL is still doing the tradition at least for the kids. That means 3 more ornaments every year. It seems like a lot of stuff to store for to me. I am also not sentimental and MIL is so it could be that I just don't get it.

sometimesalwayschaotic · October 2013

LalaMama81 said:

hheyderh said:

We are not doing the ornament a year tradition. My husband's mom did this and now he has a huge box of ornaments that we're not quite sure what to do with. I get the thoughtfulness of it but also think that it's a lot of money to spend on something. MIL is still doing the tradition at least for the kids. That means 3 more ornaments every year. It seems like a lot of stuff to store for to me. I am also not sentimental and MIL is so it could be that I just don't get it.

Put.them.on.the.tree.

I don't get what the big deal is.

We have put the ones on the tree that she's gotten us since being married. The problem is that our tree is pretty small and the ornaments add up fast. In the past she did one for every member of the family so that'd be 5 more this year. We don't have a big enough tree to add 5 ornaments to every year. I'd love to get a bigger tree but we need a bigger house first.

LoriLee14 · October 2013

I don't do the special ornaments. My parents tree growing up was like this. (had ones that were from a trip, ones that my brother and I made) But that is just not something I like on my tree. I like the uniformity of coordinating ornaments. The special ones that my parents and IL's buy for us are displayed on ornament stands. I don't know what we will do with them if they start getting one for little man for every year

Allycat11 · October 2013

I actually love that my mom bought ornaments for us as kids, and still does to this day. I was excited to get the box of my ornaments and start a tree of my own.

Confession: If you insist on having a perfect tree, I assume you are no fun. The only exception is if you have multiple trees and at least one has a variety of ornaments.

LoriLee14 · October 2013

I assume this is at me... I might change it up once he makes them. My priorities will change. Maybe it is because I grew up with the clutter tree and now I like the simple look

notkateanymore · October 2013

spring_time said:

Hav=Fath said:

KateMW said:

My mother buys both DD and myself a Christopher Radko each year. I also buy DD one.

And I think it's really sad for your mom to have bought you an ornament every year, something that I bet reminded her of you and something she probably put a lot of thought into at the time and for you to tell her you don't want them.

I agree with this. Sometimes you just take them because it makes the other person feel like their thoughtfulness over 18 years is appreciated. I get not wanting them on your tree, my mom has a beautifully decorated tree. However, when we were younger, the tree was filled with our special ornaments. Just take the ornaments, I have to imagine your mom's feelings are hurt.

Yes, I get my kids ornaments. I usually get something that they are currently into. Year 1 was a rocking horse, then he got an Elmo, last year was Thomas, this year will be a pirate ship. I am starting DDs collection this year.

Why the hell am I included in this quote? I never said I didn't want them?

Also, Hav, thanks for letting me know you think they're too expensive. I'll keep that in mind.

spring_time · October 2013

KateMW said:

spring_time said:

Hav=Fath said:

KateMW said:

My mother buys both DD and myself a Christopher Radko each year. I also buy DD one.

And I think it's really sad for your mom to have bought you an ornament every year, something that I bet reminded her of you and something she probably put a lot of thought into at the time and for you to tell her you don't want them.

I agree with this. Sometimes you just take them because it makes the other person feel like their thoughtfulness over 18 years is appreciated. I get not wanting them on your tree, my mom has a beautifully decorated tree. However, when we were younger, the tree was filled with our special ornaments. Just take the ornaments, I have to imagine your mom's feelings are hurt.

Yes, I get my kids ornaments. I usually get something that they are currently into. Year 1 was a rocking horse, then he got an Elmo, last year was Thomas, this year will be a pirate ship. I am starting DDs collection this year.

Why the hell am I included in this quote? I never said I didn't want them?

Also, Hav, thanks for letting me know you think they're too expensive. I'll keep that in mind.

Sorry, I don't know how to take out a quote without messing it up.

The ornaments your mom gives are beautiful. I would be terrified of breaking one! Of course, I cried when my dog ate/mangled my tacky Hallmark Care Bear ornament. I can't imagine how upset I would be if he got his paws on one of those pretty ones!

notkateanymore · October 2013

LOL They're pretty, but my mom raised me to believe they were meant to be used, so I hang the on the tree. I do make sure they're really secure and I wire them on the branches vs. just hang them. I love them all. We've had a couple of incidents over the years and my favorite one lost part of it's bottom at a Christmas party. I just turn it around to the back now.

chardonnay24 · October 2013

My mom gave us ornaments growing up and I loved it. I unfortunately lost them in college all when someone broke into my storage unit. :-(

I plan to continue the tradition with my kid. I don't really care for Hallmark ornaments, but I'm able to find tasteful ornaments that represent something he likes that year. His 1st ornament was just a Santa, but last year we got him an airplane and this year he's getting a train ornament.

rosesandpetals · October 2013

KateMW said:

Also, Hav, thanks for letting me know you think they're too expensive. I'll keep that in mind.

Aren't they like $50 each? That doesn't sound that expensive for a once a year tradition.

pitterpatter129 · October 2013

My mom also offered our tacky ornaments that I declined. Mine is all matchy-matchy and I like it that way. However, I've been making handprints of DS1 (and DS2 this year) to add to it. Soon it's going to be the tacky salt dough handprint tree.

ETA: She still puts them on HER tree people. She was just being nice, but she likes them on her tree. If she really wanted me to take them, I would have put them on the 3 ft tree we randomly own. I did pick out a few too. I have the ones I made in Kindergarten and a couple of Hallmark ones I loved as a kid.

joyfullyfound · October 2013

In our family it's the grandparent's tradition, so my grandma did ornaments for me and my siblings each year, and my parents will do it for our kids. There are a lot of options other than those Hallmark ones... Craft fairs are usually a good source for some unique ones... Pier 1, Pottery Barn, and even Walmart... everywhere has ornaments around Christmas time.

zbeesma86 · October 2013

My mom gets me a penguin ornament every year. I look forward to it! She always finds something different. Whether at Hallmark or a craft show.

There is an art show here this weekend (every year) and they have these beautiful blown glass ornaments with all these confetti streaks in them- when they are on a tree with lights- they are stunning! I'm going to go stock up- some for our small tree and some for my sister and mom.

I like all ornaments though- classics, gaudy, vintage, tacky- our tree is chaotic but I love it!

notkateanymore · October 2013

roses&65335678 said:

KateMW said:

Also, Hav, thanks for letting me know you think they're too expensive. I'll keep that in mind.

Aren't they like $50 each? That doesn't sound that expensive for a once a year tradition.

They range in price, but yeah around that? I usually wait to buy mine until right before Christmas when people start discounting them...unless of course I find one that means something like the Coke Santa one I bought last year full price.

khill86 · October 2013

LoriLee14 said:
I assume this is at me... I might change it up once he makes them. My priorities will change. Maybe it is because I grew up with the clutter tree and now I like the simple look

This is me, too. Our tree growing up was literally full of Hallmark ornaments and I just didn't like it. I like to have a pretty tree.

And when I say I politely declined, that's what I did. I told my mom I'd like her to keep them on her "family" tree at their house. She wasn't hurt by that. In fact, after seeing my pretentious, pretty tree for years, she put away the Hallmark ornaments and now just does glass balls, herself.

And when DS starts making/bringing home ornaments, they'll go on the little four footer I'm going to get.

Like a PP said, I'm just not that sentimental. The Hallmark ornaments don't mean anything. My mom would literally spend hundreds on them every year, just buying ones she liked. They have no special meaning to me. Honestly, even now, the stuff I keep of DS's, it's just for me. I don't really think he'll ever want any of it and I won't push it on him or be hurt if he never asks for it.

shortstuff15 · October 2013

We just buy an ornament we think is cute or they will like. However, our tree is not the perfectly decorated, theme, whatever tree, it's the one with colored lights and a mismatch of our various ornaments throughout our growing up years. So therefore all the girls ornaments fit right in.

MrsI · October 2013

khill86 said:

I assume this is at me... I might change it up once he makes them. My priorities will change. Maybe it is because I grew up with the clutter tree and now I like the simple look
This is me, too. Our tree growing up was literally full of Hallmark ornaments and I just didn't like it. I like to have a pretty tree. And when I say I politely declined, that's what I did. I told my mom I'd like her to keep them on her "family" tree at their house. She wasn't hurt by that. In fact, after seeing my pretentious, pretty tree for years, she put away the Hallmark ornaments and now just does glass balls, herself. And when DS starts making/bringing home ornaments, they'll go on the little four footer I'm going to get. Like a PP said, I'm just not that sentimental. The Hallmark ornaments don't mean anything. My mom would literally spend hundreds on them every year, just buying ones she liked. They have no special meaning to me. Honestly, even now, the stuff I keep of DS's, it's just for me. I don't really think he'll ever want any of it and I won't push it on him or be hurt if he never asks for it.

I'm in this camp... But it's DH that has a shit ton of hallmark ornaments that mean nothing to him. We now do all plastic balls, last year DD was allowed to decorate and undecorated the tree as much as she wanted. We do put meaningful ornaments to us on also. So anything DD makes, our first Christmas, baby's first Christmas, etc... But the 100 basketball players, nope they are staying boxed up. MIL puts 2-3 ornaments per branch on her 7ft tree and it's just too overwhelming for me, you can't even see them to enjoy them. BUT it's her tree so she can do what she wants, but I also feel that she doesn't get a say in our tree just because she bought ornaments for DH. She's more than welcome to have them back but until we have 2 trees they won't be put up at our house.

jenniann87 · October 2013

Growing up our tree was full of hallmark ornaments, homemade ones and just a hodge podge of ornaments. I loved it. We wouldn't necessarily get a new ornament every year but if we were on vacation somewhere or if it was a special milestone year we did. Last year my mom brought over 5 large boxes filled with ornaments and let me take the ones that were mine and other ones I wanted. Those most definitely went on our tree and I proudly displayed them.

With all that said, I do buy DS and SS a new ornament every year, it is usually something they are into at the time. Before DS, we had a small 3.5 foot tree and it was color coordinated with blue, white and silver. I still have that tree and we put it on the back porch. Trees being all one theme or whatever doesn't really hold importance in my book. I would much rather have a tree full of my kids handmade ornaments and things that represent them.

Chapter79 · October 2013

khill86 said:

I assume this is at me... I might change it up once he makes them. My priorities will change. Maybe it is because I grew up with the clutter tree and now I like the simple look
This is me, too. Our tree growing up was literally full of Hallmark ornaments and I just didn't like it. I like to have a pretty tree. And when I say I politely declined, that's what I did. I told my mom I'd like her to keep them on her "family" tree at their house. She wasn't hurt by that. In fact, after seeing my pretentious, pretty tree for years, she put away the Hallmark ornaments and now just does glass balls, herself. And when DS starts making/bringing home ornaments, they'll go on the little four footer I'm going to get. Like a PP said, I'm just not that sentimental. The Hallmark ornaments don't mean anything. My mom would literally spend hundreds on them every year, just buying ones she liked. They have no special meaning to me. Honestly, even now, the stuff I keep of DS's, it's just for me. I don't really think he'll ever want any of it and I won't push it on him or be hurt if he never asks for it.

So trees with Hallmark ornaments aren't pretty? Huh. I think I have a beautiful tree, because it's filled with all kinds of things and memories. I have sloppy ornaments my daughter made through the years, I have Hallmark ornaments from my mom.. all are special to me, make for a crazy mismatched tree, and that's what makes it beautiful to me. I actually find that a perfect looking tree with all perfect ornaments looks "snobby", but I suppose that's an UO?

More Christmas - Ornaments

Re: More Christmas - Ornaments

Choose Another Board

Search Boards