Christmas Traditions – Keepsake Ornaments

What is it about a good tradition, anyway? The ceremony of it all, the nostalgia?

Whatever it is, I’m sure enjoying sharing some of my family’s favorite Christmastime traditions with y’all… from gingerbread houses to pajamas, there are endless ways to make the season bright.

Here’s another:

I mentioned it briefly in another post, but I’ve probably got an ornament with my name and date on it for every year that I’ve been alive (thanks largely to my mother).

Collecting keepsake ornaments is a tradition that I’ve continued, but with my own spin on it, as an adult…

Rather than present each member of the family with a new individual ornament every year, we select a special one- just one– as a family, that somehow represents our collective year.

In fact, as a teenager dating my then-boyfriend-now-husband, I purchased one for the two of us to share, starting with the very first year we were a couple.

Creeptastic? I know. Presumptuous? I concur. In my defense, we started dating during spring break and had gotten to know each other well (as well as two immature, self-involved, precocious teenaged sillies possibly could) by Christmas. From this vantage, however, I’m sure thankful I did! Hindsight really is 20/20. It’s a delight to have one for each year from the very humble inception of our family.

What are some of your family’s most treasured Christmastime traditions? I’m always on the lookout for new ones to steal adopt…