Holiday Ornaments

I was so looking forward to discussing our holiday food traditions yesterday, and then the day got away from me.

Today it's about ornaments and boy, do we have ornaments. Dad and I bought the traditional kind our first couple of years married, but then Gramma Stein got down to business and made us so many beautiful, sequined, glittery ornaments, our tree was never bare again. Maybe next week I can get a box out and put some pics here to share.

Then, living in Germany, the land of Christmas, we found tons and tons of beautiful wood-carved ornaments. Many were available on the base at the duty-free shops. The very best Christmas shop in all Germany is, of course, Käthe Wohlfahrt's. The actual store (http://www.wohlfahrt.com/index.php?clang=1) is located in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, but there always were booths on the base especially during Christmas. Her store was truly a fairytale place to visit even in summer; you would be instantly transported to December.

We were able to get so many cute child-fun ornaments such as trucks, planes, helicopters, snowflakes, cuckoo clocks, baby in its crib, so many many more. Will have to find some of those too to post.

Then, you kids began school and each December, you would come home with treasures made with the help from very talented art teachers or just some great moms who came to help the students create their Christmas treasures. Our tree gets so full now, we truly need a full 6' tree with lots of sturdy branches.

For a while, I tried to make ornaments with pictures in them of us and our dogs each year. I kind of got behind but still have a box full of pretty ornaments just waiting for me to organize my photos to find just the right pictures to use in those ornaments.

I am working on the photos and just about have them all sorted, so pretty soon I may be able to finish that ornament project I started.

In the meantime, I guess it is time to sort the ornaments I do have and give some to you kids to enjoy sharing your memories with your kids and putting on your own family's Christmas tree.