Ornaments Bring Special Memories to Collectors

A holiday ornament can be more than a pretty bauble to hang--it can be a treasured part of a collection that may not be worth much but  that brings to mind priceless memories.  When asked "are there holiday ornaments that you have collected that are of worth to you?

Here is how some people responded:

• In memory of Lucy: One couple that likes to travel makes a point of buying an ornament whenever they go on a trip.  Every holiday season they have fun remembering the various places that they have been.
• This ornament was given to me because it looks like a dog I used to own.  Every year I remember my cherished dog when I hang this ornament on my tree.
• Some people shared stories of ornaments they have lost.  A little white lamb made of wax and a little rocking horse made of glittery cardboard decorated the childhood tree of one respondent, who wishes she still had those ornaments.  I know many of us have beloved ornaments from childhood (either our own or our children).  These handmade ornaments may get hung at the back of the tree, but they are still cherished!
• Another respondent lost all of the ornaments that she had been collecting over the years in a flood.  That holiday season she was given an ornament shower by her family and was delighted to receive ornaments from her mom, sisters, cousins, grandmas and aunts in the mail.
• Another respondent mentioned the ornaments he has received from Midland Care as being especially meaningful to him. Every year they put up a Memory Tree where ornaments containing the names of those who have passed over the year. They are round ceramic discs with a graphic on one side and the name on the other. These ornaments are given to family members who can keep them or pass them along as they wish.
• Another respondent shared how when he was growing up his parents always gave him and his sister a new ornament every year. They would find something or make something that had special significance for that particular year. For example, the year he started playing basketball in earnest he received a basketball ornament. When he started singing in the choir he received an ornament of someone singing with the year etched into it. He has continued this tradition of giving ornaments every year to his wife and daughter. His most absolute favorite ornament is a Los Angeles Rams ornament that his parents gave him when he was young. He started following the Rams started following them in the early 80s when they were still in Los Angeles and today he is still an avid St. Louis Rams fan. He treasures this collectible since there aren't too many Los Angeles Rams trinkets floating around anymore.

I hope you have enjoyed this trip down memory lane as people have shared their ornament stories.  You may not consider yourself a collector, but everyone who has a treasured stash of holiday ornaments has a "collection" that they enjoy every year.  For a further trip down memory lane, consider paging through some of the books the library has on Christmas decorations of the past.  You may spot some ornaments or decorations that you remember from years gone by!