As I was browsing, with sleeping baby on my chest, I couldn't help but think where all these pretties came from. What stories they held. Who loved them. Who gave them to a loved one. What Christmases they saw. Fights. Laughter. Tears of joy. Who got rid of them, and why.
I know each of my Christmas pretties have such tales behind them, beautifully tacky though they may be. Each year I think, no, don't need to pull all of them out, but I can't help it. It would be like boxing up an old friend in their moment to shine.
Here are some of my favorites.
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| Nativity given as a wedding present, from Tanzania. Russian doll in the background from my teenage exploits :) (and the painted jungle scene is from a pre-baby exploit to Barbados...ahhh...) |
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| i was hoping to celebrate Santa Lucia day (yesterday) with the kids this year...due to my Swedish background and all but it wouldve involved serving myself coffee and sweet rolls in the early morning, and well, it didnt happen. maybe next year? These are our Santa Lucia ornaments... |
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| a sweet little Nativity from my grandmother's travels to Switzerland |
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| my first ornament. hand painted by my mother (from whom i have inherited my crafty gene ) |
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| a plastic Nativity. perfect for little fingers |
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| our "nature" seasonal shelf. basket full of rocks and pinecones and little felt toys, plus a kid play nativity, all our seasonal books (the friendly beasts in the back is the sweetest) |
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| i got this in jordan the year before little man was born. |
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| ornaments my mom and sisters made me when dada and i were first married. little man has arranged them "in a flock" HA HA |
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| applesauce and cinammon ornaments, still smelling good after 12 years! |
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| every year we decorate our advent calendar at church. |
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| purchased this year in said thrifting trip. we had one of these as a kid, the angels whir and ding the bells when the candles are lit. MAGIC! said little man. i was stoked to find it in a corner for $1.50 |
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| little man's santa in a sleigh, from last year. so cute. especially, the paint job. HA HA. |
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| this is from the Nativity i grew up with, hand painted by my mother...30? 40? years ago. joseph is packed away, mary broke years ago. such memories! |
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| my best baby girl. the prettiest of Christmas pretties. :) (and her sister of course, and actually their brother is pretty pretty too...HA) |
I love your Christmas pretties! (Especially the last one!) Your eclectic and well-storied pieces are much like my own decorations. It's so much fun reliving stories of where we picked up ornaments, or seeing how little faces have changed in picture-ornaments, or how little fingers have gotten more adept when we see old crafts. Sometimes I look at the decorations in a Pottery Barn catalog and I think how nice they look (actually, I think how nice my whole life would look if it came out of a PB catalog--oooh, the organization!!), but then I look at our mix-mosh of stuff with so much history, and it really feels like Christmas and it really feels like home.
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays to you and all of your Pretties!
Beautiful, Sara! I need more stuff like that. We've focused our purchases on Christmas ornaments, not decorations. Maybe I'll look for some good stuff after Christmas...
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