What is the most unique or special item on your Christmas tree?

[Frozen Canuck]

Our tree is decorated with a variety of ornaments that have been collected throughout my life, but one of the most unique items I put on it every year was never intended to be a decoration at all. At some point, many years ago, I found a small box of 12 vintage gift tags with metallic thread strings in some of my grandmother's items. They are quite large, as far as gift tags go, and have pictures of Santa, poinsettias, Christmas kittens, wreaths, candles, Christmas trees, etc. I used them on our first tree, shortly after my husband and I were married, because we couldn't afford many decorations at the time. I have since had so many people comment on them, that I continue to put them on each year, and at this point, I can't imagine our tree without them.

Do you have any interesting decorations that you use that come with a bit of a story?

 

[firefly_ris]

These plastic gold bells with little plastic gems on them, I have I think 4 of them. They belonged to my great aunt. Another one is a set of 5 clear glass bells that are attached and go from largest to smallest, which were my grandmother's.

My most important Christmas decor item isn't an ornament though, it's the large ceramic tree that my grandmother made at a ceramics class many years ago. She carved her name in the bottom. They seemed to have recently made a bit of a comeback I think. But I've had hers since she passed away 4 years ago and grew up viewing it on her dining room buffet, where I would switch all the little lights around.

 

[ramee]

We were gifted these last year. It’s a nice change from the plastic hallmark ornaments.

The most special one is the sleigh ornament my stepson made with popsicle sticks in preschool.

 

[LSUmiss]

An ornament with DS’ handprint

 

[wenrob]

The most special ones are the ones my kids made when they were littles. Those always go on first.

The one(s) with a story are two clay like gingerbread men about three inches tall. I was a bit of a gym rat 20 or so years ago and never missed Tuesday class. This class happened to fall on Christmas Eve and my friend and I went like we did every Tuesday. The class instructor gave everyone who showed one of these ornaments. Half the people who usually came didn’t so we got two. My kids have heard this story all their lives but they ask about it every year so it’s become part of the tree decorating ritual.

 

[easyas123]

Perhaps not exactly what you had in mind, but we have a dried, spray painted frog we put on the tree.

Several (10-15??? ) years ago my husband came across the poor thing dried up down in the corner of the basement and came up with the idea to paint it gold and put a hook on it and give it to my Mother for Christmas, at the time they had a ongoing "battle" over who could out tacky each other over silly Christmas gifts. That was the year she gave him the whisky dispenser in the form of a gnome. I'll leave it to your imagination as to where the whisky was poured out of!

Of course, we have all the sentimental ornaments our sons made when they were little kids, the ones we got on our honeymoon and on various travels , and other special items. But the frog always brings a smile when we rediscover it among the ornaments!

 

[fly girl]

Ours isn't on our tree, it is under our tree. A 1950's dime store manger. The manger is made of heavy duty cardboard - while Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus are chalkware. It is so old you can see the glue holding the pieces down. Nothing exciting about it, except for its huge sentimental value. My dad grew up with it and when he got married my Grandma passed it to him. The cycle continued with me. It is a piece of my childhood that I cherish.

 

[Carol_]

Gorsh! I’m just glad I got one up at all.
The ornaments are too much for me so far.
My beloved would wait til Christmas Eve if it were up to him... and he hates plastic trees.
I’m thrilled that this plastic one I bought was easy to put up and comes pre-lit with a floor button to stomp it on and off with. I stomped it on, and voilá.
It’s Christmas.

 

[kimblebee]

All our ornaments have a story. For our tree, we don’t put a star or angel on the top, we put a plastic sprig of cranberries. When my daughter was in grade 5 or 6 her class went to a nursery for a winter field trip and they each made a wreath and she decided to put a huge sprig of cranberries on hers. We needed a topper, so that became it.

For my parents, I’d probably say their two strands of bubble lights. Most of them work and they always get comments when they are bubbling along.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Do you have any interesting decorations that you use that come with a bit of a story?

Don't know how "interesting" it is, but when I was around 10 my grandmother gave me a string of pop-beads (for those of us who know what they are). They were silver coated. The silver started chipping/peeling off right away, so my parents (and I, supposedly) agreed to put them in the Christmas decorations until such time as all the silver was worn off. Then I could have them back. Yeah, they're still in my Christmas decorations (with some silver still on them) over 50 years later.

And, there's the ubiquitous paper plate angel on the top of the tree made by our youngest in kindergarten.

 

[nene0182]

Hand stamped metal tags that have me and my husband’s initials on them and our wedding date. I had them tied around my wedding bouquet

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I'd say the ornaments from places we've been (ETA: though I'm not sure they are all categorized as interesting--some I think are just quirky and most are just normal-ish). We started doing this in 2016 as part of a tradition. We don't do it for every place we've been; sometimes we're just not feeling it. For example we went to Salida, CO February 2018 but we just didn't see any ornaments we really liked. I just love being able to look at them and remember the fun times there of the ones we've gotten.

D.C. (Monuments on all sides)--2016


Hawaii--2016


Frisco, CO (hard to see but it's a moose and it has christmas lights wrapped up in its antlers)--2017



WDW (Four Parks icons plus monorail)--2017


Universal Studios (didn't get one separately for IOA)--2017


Vegas (points of interest on the back too)--2017


NYC--2017


Jamaica--2018


Marceline, MO--Walt Disney Hometown Museum (we live within a few hrs of the place)--2018


DLR--2019

 

[bushdianee]

Mine are more sentimental than interesting. Since my mom lived with me until she died I have hers. They bring back a lot of memories. There is one that I made in Sunday school over 50 years ago. It is a wooden thread spool with ribbon and what I believe was called ric-rack back then. There was one of one of my sisters that she made in kindergarten that has her kindergarten photo on it. When Mom died I gave it my sister and she displays it every year. Then there is one with a funny story, we had had a toy poodle at the time and my dad had been hinting about wanting another one. My mom had gotten him a poodle ornament and put it in a bigger box with holes in it. Just as he was about to open it, one of the grandkids um, passed gas and my dad really thought there was a live poodle in the box!

 

[indimom]

My husband has a really old, clip-on Santa Claus that was on his great-grandparents' tree.
It's similar to this but most of the color is gone.


I have an ornament in the shape of a pink Dragonfly. It's a memorial to a friend's daughter who passed just before her 7th birthday.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I have a very old celluloid Santa figure that was my Dad's when he was a boy in the 40s. It's fading so much he looks more like the ghost of Jacob Marley than Santa. We Call him the 'Shot in the Foot Santa' because he has a big hole in one of his feet where a modern light melted through the celluloid.

I also have an angel that used to be the tree topper for many years. She was my parents' first tree topper and is very 1965, all silver and tinsel. I say 'used to be the tree topper' because her head kept falling off, not a good look for an angel. So she was retired to a discreet home on the back of the tree.

I would part with all of my Disney ornaments before these two special things. It's not even 7 am here right now-I'll post a couple of pics later on today.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

I'd say the ornaments from places we've been (ETA: though I'm not sure they are all categorized as interesting--some I think are just quirky and most are just normal-ish). We started doing this in 2016 as part of a tradition. We don't do it for every place we've been; sometimes we're just not feeling it. For example we went to Salida, CO February 2018 but we just didn't see any ornaments we really liked. I just love being able to look at them and remember the fun times there of the ones we've gotten.

This is what we do too. A Christmas ornament is usually my only souvenir from a lot of places, and I love to remember where they came from as we decorate our tree. We have some from Santa Fe, Iceland, Williamsburg, WDW, among others. Same as you, we don't get them every place, just depends on if we come across a store that sells them and has ones we like.

 

[LovesTimone]

Great topic...

I have what I would call a family tree... Every thing on the tree is special... lots and lots of memories...

I have a nativity ornament that was my great grandmothers... I think it is about 100 years old... maybe older.... My Granny gave it to me when she was around 95, and said that she remember it always being on their tree when she was a little girl... so it is super special...

I have 2 ornaments that were my grandparents, each with their name on them... They have both gone to heaven now... as well I have the pickle ornament that hung on their tree, its a German thing...

I have my DD baby's first Christmas, along with a my grandson first Christmas...

I have ornaments that my DD made all through school, and now my Grandson is making them and they hang proudly on the tree with hers...

Ornaments of our family dog... he has gone to the rainbow bridge to wait for us... we miss him everyday... and its been 5 years now

DH and I just married Disney Ornament...

Lots and lots of Disney Ornaments - from princess ornaments when DD was little, to her engagement ornament...

DH and I make a day at Disney Springs and pick our a new Mickey and Minnie ornament and sometimes another Disney Ornament for our tree each year...

Disneyland Paris, and another Ornament we picked up in Paris...

I collect glass ornaments... DH and I have picked them up all over the world...

 

[MrsDuck]

My son's hand print. We didn't make one last year or the year before (he was born Nov. 2017) but we did make one this year and I hope to keep it up until he doesn't want to let me anymore.

 

[ronandannette]

Ours is pretty standard by design but at some point after the tree goes up DS will sneak weird things onto it - anything from super-hero action figures to a hair brush to plastic tags off bread bags.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

Our silver anniversary ornament. After that it's a Disney golden anniversary ornament. There are also a few ornaments the kiddos made while in school.