I love ornaments that mark the beginning of a new family. Of course, you have your ornaments for babies and their first Christmas, but there is also the first Christmas for the family...and the second, and the third.
Now that I'm older, I love to look for Family Parnter and especially unique ones for the grandparents, too. A family ornament, at least for my family, is the perfect way to really step back and record that special moment for the year.
First, each ornament HAS to have everybody's name on it. Otherwise, in my book, that's no family Christmas ornament, for sure. Secondly, it HAS to have the family name. You know: The Smith Family. Third: it has to have the year, but I prefer a phrase like, "Christmas 2010" or something like that. And lastly, it has to be big enough for family memories.
What are family memories, you ask? First, type ornaments family into a browser. The backwards presentation seems more logical, and I always get good results. The very best thing, at least in my opinion, is a personalized family ornament that you can use to celebrate this particular year. So, the family memories portion would be the back of the ornament. Just grab a sharpie and write down the most special, most memorable event for each person. It could be anything from whomever broke a leg, to a perfectly played concert, to a championship poker win. I mean anything. What I try to do is to think of the one thing that most represents the biggest moment of the year for each person in my family. That way, you will end up with a host of family ornaments spanning the years
Now why is this important? Well, when you reach my age, the memory isn't so good anymore. Each and every Christmas family ornament takes me right back to that special moment as if it were yesterday.
I can't tell you how much fun it's been taking that trip down memory lane today. I have 16 special family ornament memories laid out in front of me. As I hang each one on the Christmas tree, I read the backside. Sometimes the memories are sweet, sometimes they're not so much fun. But what they always are is real. I hope you too can start and begin this kind of tradition with a collection all your own of ornaments for family.