Now that it’s December, I wanted to share one of our family Christmas traditions. I got this idea from my sweet friend Cara Carroll and have just adapted it for our family.
Every year I purchase ornaments that represent the year for each kid. I may choose a sport they played, an action figure they are obsessed with, a hobby they picked up, a vacation experience, or anything that reminds me of that year and that child. We’ve had some really random things in the past… donut, scuba diver, Elsa, The Flash, horses, books, etc. I really just think back through the year and choose things that stick out to me.
The ornaments are always a SURPRISE. I don’t tell anyone what I’m ordering.
In years past I have only ordered felt ornaments. I do that for two reasons:
This year it was a little more tricky to find what I needed in felt, so I kinda veered off that path a little. My searches are so specific that I don’t really use the same shops year after year, but I will share some of my favorite shops in just a bit. Here’s a look at our ornaments from this year.
Both kids got Nike shoes (these are actually keychains) because they became shoe-obsessed with their Papa this year! I found tiny shoes that were similar to a pair that we purchased throughout the year.
Both kids also got Disney Poster Ornaments to represent their favorite rides from Disney World and Disney Land this year.
Israel got a Groot because he is OBSESSED with the Guardians of the Galaxy ride at Disney Land. We rode it 5 times during our last trip! His other ornament is a sea turtle from our trip to the Bahamas. He loved feeding the sea turtles.
Joelle got a pig to represent our trip to the Bahamas. We fed the pigs and she thought they were the cutest things ever. She also got a Baby Yoda because The Mandalorian (on Disney Plus) became one of our favorite shows as a family.
I realize that you probably will never need to purchase these exact ornaments, but I thought I would still link them anyways!
This year I decided to also get 2 new family ornaments {we needed some kind of happiness in 2020, ya know what I mean?!}. We LOVE Mickey Apples from Disney World. Like we are obsessed. When I found the Minnie Apple ornament I just had to have it! We bought a Jeep this year, so that explains the ornament! It quickly became our stress reliever during a very stressful year.
These ornaments go on our family tree in the living room. I used to put playful ornaments on the playroom tree. Over the years I’ve given up trying to have the “perfect” Christmas tree in our main living space. Now I just enjoy looking at all of our memories from the years past.
The plan is to pass the ornaments to the kids when they grow up and have their own tree. I have a feeling I’ll have a hard time letting go of them, but I would love for them to look back on their ornaments and relive fun memories from their childhood. We have so much fun pulling them out from year to year!
Santa Pajamas are from Old Navy: HERE and HERE
PS: I cannot for the life of me remember why I started with getting 3 or 4 ornaments each year rather than just 1. I tend to have a hard time stopping something once I get started!
Click HERE for 2019 ornaments
Click HERE for 2018 ornaments
Here are some other shops I have ordered from and really enjoy:
and
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2 Responses
I do the same thing.. each year when I add their ornaments, I write down the back story and include a photo of the ornament. I want my kids to know exactly where and why every ornament is special ❤
Love it so much!