Christmas Traditions: Collecting Ornaments

Be prepared for some really, really bad "iphone" pics. By "iphone," I mean shitty android phone.

As I was decorating the tree this year, I found it hard to enjoy myself. I didn't feel excited looking at my ornaments, and I only felt daunted by the task of getting them all up. No one was there to help me or just be enthusiastic while I decorated. There was a bump on a log facebooking all evening which was doing nothing to spread holiday cheer.

With each ornament I put on the tree, I missed the ornaments my family has collected over the years. For several years, it became a tradition to pick out at least one new ornament each Christmas. One of my favorites is a penguin I picked out, and my sister Liz's rosy-cheeked tot decked out in snow gear is adorable. My niece looked just like her this Thanksgiving! So cute. We also have miniature animals, including a monkey and elephant, that everybody loves. Many people have now discovered the joys of vintage ornaments, but we started building our collection of those many years ago. I have some vintage ornaments that I purchased last year at the Rose Bowl Flea Market. They are cute, and I had my friend/soulmate Susan with me, so that was special, but not quite the same.

get the worst over with. one of my vintage ornaments.

Vintage Santa. I promise he doesn't look this creepy in person.

I told my boo that I was feeling sad, and naturally, unenthused. He offered to continue the tradition of adding a new ornament to the tree each year, so it was off to Target we went. Since doing so, I've noticed our new ornament in a few other blogs. Turns out we were not alone in our appreciation of the glittery pickle!

A glittery pickle and a dry tree. Merry Christmas!

As we continue to build our collection of whimsical and vintage ornaments, I'm going to cycle out the generic, cheap ornaments little by little. Right now they are tree filler. I love the look of special ornaments, but more importantly, I love the memories and feelings that come back to me when I unpack them each year. I'm happy to be able to do that in my parents' home and now my own!

Merry Christmas Eve everybody!