2001 (Daniel's first Christmas): Just a simple "JOY" ornament because that's what we felt, having Daniel join our family. No real milestone as he was only 6 weeks old.
2002: One of the first words that Daniel said was "teddy" so we bought him a teddy ornament.
2003: He was going through a very clingy stage and would follow me around saying, "Huggy Mommy, huggy Mommy!" When I saw this ornament with the little arms flung wide it looked like he was asking for a hug so I bought it for Daniel.
2004: We were in Cape Town for Christmas. Daniel chose this bead and wire guinea fowl at a craft market and played with it while on holiday. When we got home I added a wire loop and some ribbon to hang it on the tree.
2005: The beginning of the dinosaur obsession.
2006: Daniel started school.
2007: He lost his first tooth.
2008: He learned to ride his bike.
2009 (this year): He learned to swim and got glasses. I found this Smurf toy on eBay and made some wire glasses for him, which I glued on. I added some embroidery floss around his waist so he can hang from the tree.
This year Daniel also got an extra ornament to commemorate his baptism - the white dove represents the Holy Ghost. The year he gets the priesthood he'll also get an extra ornament (a key).
We've continued the tradition when Noah came along:
2005 (first Christmas): He was such a chilled out baby that I bought him a snowman. If you squeeze him it plays Frosty the Snowman.
2006: He became obsessed with cars and adored Weetabix. He would eat 5 for breakfast! (For those who aren't familiar with Weetabix, it's a wheat biscuit breakfast cereal and most adults eat 2!) I bought this little Weetabix truck on eBay and added some wire to attach cord to hang it.
2007: The car / truck obsession continued. He didn't do much else!
2008: He was going through a very chatty phase and would NOT.STOP.TALKING all day long. I ordered this little wooden speech bubble from an Etsy seller and painted it white with a black border. I added the sentiment with rub-on letters.
2009 (this year): He started school.
I've had so much fun choosing or making each year's ornament and one day when each boy leaves home he'll have a box of 21 (or however many) ornaments, which tell the story of his life, to hang on his own Christmas tree in his own home. I've made sure I included each child's name and the year on the back of each ornament and I'll include a little photo album detailing the explanation behind each ornament.
How totally clever of you! This is something the children will appreciate for many years!!
ReplyDeleteThis is a really cute idea. I like that each ornament represents a milestone. It'll be like a little box full of memories to take when they're all grown up and moving out!
ReplyDeleteI have done this with my kids too. They are 17 and 20 and they still enjoy getting their ornaments each year.
ReplyDeleteWe have snow, snow and more snow here in the States. We have at least a foot with more to come. We even have to shovel a path for the dog in the yard.
Merry Christmas!!!
What a fun idea. I always thought buying one each year would get too expensive, but you have managed (and I shouldn't be surprised) to do it in a thrifty(ish) manner and still make it fun and quite personal. Good work- as always!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas! I LOVE this idea. Our kids pick their own ornaments--not as meaningful. It is fun to see what they pick, but I like the stories included with yours. Very touching!
ReplyDelete