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Ornament spotlight day 11 showcases a simple but elegant ornament that brings a strong message for the holiday season. In a world that can at times seem hopeless in peace, joy, and love, this ornament reminds us that it does still exist. I purchased this ornament a few years ago at Kohls, and I look forward to adorning my tree with it every year.
Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Hello everyone! Today's ornament spotlight is a little work of art. I began a new tradition this year after I discovered Soffieria de Carlini on the Neiman Marcus website while searching for my annual Swarovski ornament. Soffieria de Carlini are mouth blown, hand painted glass ornaments made in Italy. These ornaments are unique and appreciate over time as they are keepsakes. When I came across them on the website, I immediately fell in love with their charm, each lady having a personality of her own. If you have daughters, this tradition will be especially fun, as you and your little one can choose an ornament to add to your collection each Christmas. These ornaments retail for $68.00 on www.neimanmarcus.com.
Hello again! You may have noticed that my spotlight on ornament nine is a day late. My apologies. This weekend has been rather busy. My church had their annual Pancakes with Santa breakfast which was so much fun. My family and I also managed to visit Gaylord Opryland to see the lights and decorations. The traffic was crazy, and the crowds were crazier, but I have to admit, it was totally worth it. Opryland has gotten new lights since my last visit, and it was gorgeous. If you have never been to see the Christmas decor at Opryland and you are driving distance to the Nashville area, you must go at least once! I'll post some pics below after the blog.
Today's ornament isn't really an ornament at all! It's a magical elf that watches over my nine year daughter to make sure she behaves extra nice during the month of December. And although she is not technically an ornament, we often find her on our tree involved in some sort of humorous shenanigan. As you can see from the pics above, she decided to hang upside down from the bottom of our tree. Doesn't the blood rush to her head??? She is a spry little thing. Our elf, Gumdrop Lollipop, arrives every year on Thanksgiving to get settled before December hits. She usually leaves on New Year's Eve, waiting a week after Christmas Day just to make sure none of the gifts from Santa were defective. How about you? Does your family have an Elf on the Shelf? What is your elf's name and when does he/she arrive?
Good tidings to you, wherever you are. Today's ornament spotlight has a funny story behind it. My sweet mother is deathly afraid of birds. She literally has a physical reaction when she sees chickens, or anything with feathers really. She claims that when she was a little girl, her babysitter allowed her pet parakeets to freely fly around in her house. She proclaims that these parakeets were spastic and would randomly land on her shoulder, secretly terrorizing her. I personally find this story hilarious. I can just imagine Little Linda staring into the eyes of a spastic parakeet.
Well, I don't mind birds. I mean, I guess they're not my fave, but I don't have a bird phobia like my mom. I bought this tiny brown bird with a white feather tail from Hobby Lobby to go on my tree. I thought he complimented my woodland creatures quite well. Well, mom goes out and gifts me with this adorable bird house to go on my tree. I love it, but unfortunately for mom the brown bird ornament won't fit in it! I hope she doesn't hyperventilate when she notices the brown bird is still there.
As a bonus, here are some photos I snapped last night at our town's Christmas tree lighting ceremony. I apologize if they aren't the best quality. It was cold and crowded!
Greetings Santa fans! It's that time of year all the small towns across America are holding their Christmas tree lighting ceremonies. My small town's tree lighting event is this evening. I will try and post pics tomorrow!
Yesterday's ornament spotlight, I took it back to the woodland creature collection. Today, I'm taking it back to my cute Santa collection. This little guy brings rustic charm to my tree. His body is made of pine cone while his arms, legs, hat, and fluffy beard is made of sparkling felt. He comes bearing an adorable pint sized wreath dusted with snow. I think he looks ready for Christmas. What do you think?
Hello fellow Christmas fanatics. We are one day closer to Christmas! Have you gotten all of your holiday shopping done yet? I have a few more items, and then I will be done. Every year I say that I am going to get an early start, and every year time creeps up on me. Are you an early Christmas shopper, or are you a last minute Christmas shopper? What about online shopping? I feel like every year I do more and more of my shopping online. What about you? Are you an online shopper, or are you a more traditional shopper?
Today I am taking it back to my woodland creature collection. This little raccoon dude may be teeny tiny, but he sure is handsome! He adds a little something special to the tree. What do you think he his thinking??? If he could talk, what would he say??? Is it weird that I think about these things? Tomorrow is our small town's tree lighting ceremony, and my daughter Tulip is performing with her school chorus, Sound Effects, to open for the event. I'll try and post some pictures of our town's tree. Thanks for reading!
Hello everyone! Not only is it beginning to look a lot like Christmas, its also beginning to feel a lot like Christmas. Its getting chilly outside! Tennessee weather is crazy. The temperature was flip flop weather this past Sunday (high 60's) and now its time to break out the heavy coat (mid to low 40's). So, in honor of the temperature change, I decided the spotlight ornament for day 5 would be my sweet little snowman!
Although he is not a woodland creature or an adorable Santa, he is one of the coziest ornaments I own. He is all bundled up in his scarf, coat, mittens, hat, and snow boots. Exactly what I'll be wearing when I take my daily walks on the local greenway. I personally do not mind cold weather. I think the key is having the right gear to layer on when the weather changes and the arctic temps creep in. Wool socks, beanies, and gloves are a must! And just in case you were wondering, I picked Lil' Frosty up at Cracker Barrel a couple of years ago. How do you feel about the weather change? Do you prefer it hot or cold???
Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. My family and I had the opportunity to watch two of our favorite holiday movies over the weekend: Elf and Home Alone 2. Is it just me, or does Elf never get old? I could watch that movie in July and enjoy it just as much as I do at Christmas. We also managed to watch our hometown Christmas parade which is always fun! What are some of your favorite holiday movies you watch every year?
The ornament I am spotlighting today stems from a dilemma I had last year. After decorating my tree, I realized that I could not fit anymore woodland creatures or cute Santa's without overcrowding. The horror! You see, I love picking out Christmas ornaments every year. It gets me into the spirit of the season! After some serious soul searching (I kid), I found the perfect solution. I purchased an LED bark tree that complimented my main tree and dedicated it as my Swarovski Crystal ornament tree.
Swarvoski offers beautiful crystal ornaments for $49.00 to $200.00. Although pricey for a tree ornament, they are worth every penny as they are keepsakes. I will pass these down to my daughter when she has a tree of her own to decorate one day. The ornament showcased above is the 2016 Annual Edition Snowflake ornament. Swarovski debuts holiday ornaments every year usually in the shape of a star or snowflake. I now look forward to seeing what Swarovski puts out every holiday season. But what I enjoy more is the new tradition of choosing the ornament that speaks to me the most each year. What do you think of this tradition? Do you have a particular ornament you search for each year?
Thanks for reading!
Ashley
Greetings fellow ornament lovers! Today's spotlight ornament is very near and dear to my heart. As you can see, the ornament is a pickle. Yes, a pickle! Some of you may have already heard about this old tradition, but for those of you who have not, well, the lid explains it all! The Christmas Pickle makes its appearance every year on Christmas Eve. It is hidden somewhere deep within the tree, and the child who finds it receives a special gift on Christmas morning. My daughter loves this tradition. Her elf, Gumdrop Lollipop, brought it as a present a few years ago, and it has been an annual tradition ever since.
The lid says this is an old German tradition. You can find all kinds of fun legends and myths about how this tradition began on the internet. I'm not sure if anyone really knows how the Christmas Pickle came about, but I say pick the story that speaks to you the most to pass down to your children or grandchildren. I discovered the Christmas Pickle when I was a little girl touring the Belle Meade Mansion during their annual Century of Christmas. That tour must have made a huge impression on me as a young girl, because I still remember how beautifully decorated the plantation was. But what really stuck was the finale, getting to see what a real Victorian Christmas tree would have looked like. It was gorgeous, and unlike the Christmas trees I was accustomed to. I specifically remember seeing an orange and a pickle on the tree. I was so curious. Why on earth would someone put an orange or pickle on a Christmas tree??? Turns out the pickle was an age old tradition, and the orange was a sweet treat during a time of year when fruit was scarce. Gifts sure have changed through the generations!
I found my pickle at Dillard's a few years ago, so I do not know if you can still find them there. However, you may have luck with Amazon or Etsy. What do you think of the Christmas Pickle tradition?