Twenty-Six Lists - Holiday Ornaments and Memories

Welcome to Twenty-Six Lists! I hope you'll join me in this simple link-up, where I share a writing prompt for some kind of list, and invite you to share what's on your list. Your list can be very simple or include lots of explanation; short or long; a bullet point list or essay style. Interpret the list prompts however you like, depending on how much time you have to spend, and how much background you'd like to share. 

We've had our Christmas tree and most of our Christmas decorations up since the Thanksgiving weekend and I know there were folks who put their trees and lights up much earlier than that. And there are others who wait until the first Sunday of Advent or later, and many who celebrate a different holiday in December or have different traditions surrounding how - or if! - they decorate. I think that for most of us, we have some memories or traditions associated with our favorite ornaments and holiday decor, and that's what I'm hoping to tap into with this list. Share some of your favorite holiday ornaments and a little about why you love them.

Holiday Ornaments and Memories

I don't know about you, but I seem to have trouble getting a really good photo of my Christmas tree. It's the whole thing with the lights. Anyway. For many years, my Christmas tree has been some version of the photo above. I prefer the white lights, and the majority of my ornaments are red, white, and silver. I have wooden beads for garland, and I absolutely love the quilt pattern tree skirt that my Mom made for me a few years ago.

Other than the dominant color scheme, I don't have just one theme to my tree, but there are collections of ornaments. For instance, quite a few coffee theme ornaments - most of them are Tim Hortons, but Starbucks also makes an appearance. No explanation needed as to why I have these or why there are some of my favorites!

There are also a LOT of Coca-Cola ornaments. Coke bottles, Coke cans, Coca-Cola bears, the Coca-Cola Santas, and lots more. My husband and I started collecting Coke memorabilia very early in our relationship, and one aspect of our collection that we are still attached to is the Christmas collection. 

I also have quite a number of ornaments that are a nod to Canada or have that rustic northern lodge type feel to them. Some of them are sort of souvenirs of Canada, like the bear silhouette; and some just fit that general vibe, like the checked bows and the tin star. In a way, these ornaments are a reminder of where I grew up, and put me in mind of a cozy mountain cabin that I sometimes think of as my dream home.

Y'know, even the collection of sparkly snowflakes that I put all over the tree are favorites of mine. They are cheap dollar store ornaments that I've had for ages, but I honestly haven't seen these on other trees very often, and I love the way they brighten up the tree and give a bit more sparkle to it. 

I've recently been adding more cardinal themed ornaments to the tree. I don't have many, but cardinals are one of my favorite birds, and the red color certainly goes with the theme! What I'd really like, but haven't found yet, is a tree topper that features a cardinal.

Quite a few of our ornaments were acquired on family vacations. Especially when we travelled late in the fall, we liked to pick out an ornament that would remind us of that destination and the family trip. Obviously, we picked up some Disney World ornaments!

I always especially liked this woodcut nativity ornament from St Augustine, Florida.

Another nativity type set of ornaments that is special to me is a set of six ornaments that sort of tell the story of Jesus' life. In addition to the baby and the dove, there's a Bible, a loaf of bread, a hammer, and the cross. 

And this is not a tree ornament, but it is my favorite nativity scene. It's modeled after the wood carvings of Africa (and sorry, I no longer remember what region or which people group!) and it just makes me smile to see the Joseph character holding up the Christ child with so much joy. Even though the carvings don't have facial features, I can just imagine the laughter and I think it's both celebratory and worshipful. (Although I don't think the child is a newborn in this depiction!)

Which of your holiday ornaments are special to you? Please share.

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We're almost finished with the 2024 Edition of Twenty-Six Lists on A Fresh Cup of Coffee! If you're curious, the year started here: Twenty-Six Lists - Accomplishments and Goals. I don't plan to do the Twenty-Six Lists link-up in 2025, but maybe sometime down the road I'll bring it back. Thanks to everyone that has read, commented, and linked up at some point during the year. I hope you'll be back for the last couple of Lists!

Just one item left on this bonus list!

December 24 - Holiday Movies and Music

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