Ornament Tradition

As a great big family of two, it's hard to establish Christmas traditions that are just for us. I mean think about it… are we really going to enjoy reading a Christmas classic like The Night Before Christmas every night before bed? Probably not! So what is there for the two of us to enjoy?

It's a small thing, but every year our Christmas tradition is to buy two special ornaments. First ornament is the annual dated Hallmark snowflake. The snowflakes are white and sparkly and beautiful.

Someday I will have a tree loaded with special snowflakes, one marking each year that my husband and I have been married. Right now we have two. (I haven't bought this year's snowflake yet.)

Our very first ornament! Isn't it lovely?

On the ribbon is a charm with the year 2012. 

The other ornament is a lot of fun! We spend all year looking for just the right one. This other ornament is an ornament that represents a special time or trip that we took throughout the year.

I am still kicking myself for not deciding to make this tradition until right after our first Christmas in 2011. I wish we had an ornament from our honeymoon or trip to New York during those first special months that we were married.

But… I did jump on it right away in 2012. We spent a day in Disney - one of my favorite places ever - and snatched up this dated Mickey ornament. We are hoping to Disney again someday and maybe get another ornament there.

Downtown Disney 2012

Just because I had a blast taking pictures of my ornaments, here is this year's ornament - commemorating our trip to Hershey Park in Pennsylvania. Neither of us had ever been there, even though I grew up not terribly far from there. This trip was special because we had a particularly difficult year and this was one of the first times in months that we really got to be together and just enjoy life. It was the moment when we emotionally "turned the corner."

Hershey Park 2013

So that is our Christmas ornament tradition. Some day we will have this totally amazing tree that we can spend hours reminiscing over throughout the entire Christmas season. 

Hope you can make your own special tree too!

My favorite - Sebastian

BONUS: This is my all-time favorite ornament! I have had it since I was three or four years old. It is the only ornament I have from childhood. Sebastian here came from a McDonalds happy meal, the year that the Little Mermaid was re-released. Sebastian makes it on the tree every year. It isn't Christmas without him. 

Photo Courtesy: Me!!