Our Family Tradition of Picking Out Our New Christmas Ornaments

Here it is already September.  Christmas is going to be here before I know it.  Now that I live in Florida, it kind of creeps up on me, because it doesn’t get cold here. I don’t have the leaves falling from the trees and the frost on the ground.  I often forget what season it is. It is always summer here.  Time has really flown by lately; soon I will be getting my Christmas tree and ornaments out, and decorating my home in the traditional Sheilacakes family décor.  I love getting all the decorations out and sharing stories with Noah about the Christmas tree decorations we have collected over the years. I am a little picky about where certain ornaments go, The Nutcracker and The Sugar Plum Fairy always have to be together with The Nutcracker Storybook.  I also make sure that Raggedy Ann and Andy have to be together.  My sister and I used to put our first Christmas ornaments up on the very top so, I still do that.

Noah has some ornaments that we got at the apple orchard for his first Christmas. They aren’t as special as the frame ornament we have. It has a picture of me and him on his first Christmas morning.  He is even wearing a little Santa hat.  Some of them are ones we made when I was Noah’s age.  We must store our ornaments well because they are still whole. They have some cracks but what do expect for ornaments that are 25 years old?  Every year we pick out a couple new ornaments.   I can’t wait to see what Noah picks. I am willing to bet that they will be either Lego or Star Wars or a combo. I think he has his eye on an R2-D2 ornament already. You can find really cool ornaments any time of the year if you know where to look.  I have considered doing an ornament exchange with my friends that live in my apartment complex.  I have never participated in one before but, know people who do it every year. I have received ornaments as gifts before, and even though I am no longer in contact with them, I think of them when I hang that particular ornament.  It makes me smile. I remember I received a beautiful butterfly ornament from my speech therapist in elementary school. I had trouble saying the s sound. I would make the sh sound.  Thankfully that is no longer an issue and that Noah didn’t inherit it from me.  

I really want to organize a Christmas ornament swap.   It would be so much fun, especially using the internet to find unique ornaments from Lakeside Collection.  My question is do you get all the same ornament or do you pick different ones for different people? I think I would prefer to personalize it.  That way everyone knows that we took the time to think of them and didn’t just run to the local store and grab ornaments to share.  It’s easier to remember who you received it from if there is a story behind it and if it’s neat.

The Christmas Web Spring Sale

Christmas is probably my favorite holiday. I love everything about it, especially decorating the tree and the house. I go all out when I decorate. I put out things I had when I was young.  The two white Bears always come out. I also put out different Santas and my Lambchop  Angel.  Christmas would not be Christmas without them.  I am always looking for new decorations and ornaments. This past Christmas Noah made me a hand print wreath that I told him would go up every year. He also made my mom a Happy Holidays rug that will be out too. I know that it is spring and Christmas is merely a memory now, but it is never too early to be thinking about next Christmas.  I pick up stuff for Christmas all year long. While I don’t have my tree up anymore or the wreath on my door, I still like to hunt for things to add to my collection. When we went on the Disney Cruise, I bought my mom an ornament made out of shells and that was in September. We went to the Shell Show again this year and almost bought some ornaments.  

 I really enjoy buying things from specialty stores for Christmas vs. big name stores. I feel like specialty stores really know what they are doing and you can find unique items that aren’t available at like Walmart.   I am looking for quality stuff because I know that I will be using for many years. I am also really big on traditions.  Every year we have always made certain goodies for Christmas.  I now make the same recipes with Noah. I have a recipe that was in a magazine in 1982.  We also always read The Night Before Christmas. I love our traditions but I am looking for new traditions to start too.  I learned about an awesome tradition called The Christmas Web- A Family Tradition.  They were only able to ship in Birmingham Alabama in 2012 but now are able to ship nationally.  The Christmas Web is having a Spring Sale in honor of this exciting news!   

The Magic Wand that is spun by the Elves at the North Pole to spin a web of Christmas Cheer. I can see Noah now, trying to fish for elves on Christmas morning.  It is a really cool concept. It has 70 yards of yarn to lead you to that special gift that you really want.  Like I said before Noah loves to fish so I can see him pretending to fish for his present or have me “fish” for mine.  You can buy The Magic Wand for $10.99

 The Christmas Web offers two different products that I have never heard of.  The Christmas Web also sells a gift set. This would be great for families with more than one child because it comes with three wands.  It also comes with a 52 page hardcover book that tells you and your children how the Christmas Web was created.  You can also access a special website where you can get updates from Santa and your elves all year long.  I think that Noah would like the gift set because he can know why he has The Magic Wand and what powers it has.  I am sure he would read the book over and over.   The gift set is $39.99.

 You can order both items from The Christmas Web. If you use the code SALE in the promo code box you can save 25% of your order.

Check them out and lets all make some new Christmas traditions that can be passed on for generations to come.

The Day the Fridge Died

One of my most memorable Christmases was the year that our refrigerator broke on Christmas Day. Thankfully we were living in Indiana and it had been very cold that day so we were able to keep everything outside on our screened in porch. My mom and sister were going out of town to Chicago the next day so I was left without a refrigerator for a few days. Normally on Christmas Eve we always have a bunch of appetizers means there's always yummy leftovers. In case you were wondering they did not go to waste.Then my family had the task of picking out a new refrigerator. We wanted to make sure that we purchased one with the specific features. The first important feature was that it had two doors because I really like to stock up on frozen food. We have grown accustomed to having a water and ice dispenser so of course that was a key feature for us to have. After we decided which features we wanted we also had to decide what the refrigerator would look like because it has to match the kitchen. Finally we had to think about costs with it being just after Christmas and the fact that I received a new computer that year and we were not expecting our fridge to die on Christmas Day we wanted to make sure it was something that was in our budget. Don't worry we were able to find one. I no longer had to be like Abraham Lincoln and go out in the snow to find something to eat. I guess it could've been worse the heat could have been broken and when my mom and sister came home they would have found an ice lolly named Sheila.

Our Unique and Beautiful Christmas Tree

It’s no secret that Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love everything about Christmas from making our traditional goodies to caroling to decorating our house.  Our house is a combination of old items from my childhood I received for Christmas such as my Lamb chop Angel to newer things that we have purchased throughout the years. Most people decorate a Christmas tree. I have seen beautiful trees that are perfectly color coordinated to match their décor. I have also seen trees that have all matching ornaments with colored balls and bows. All of those trees are beautiful of course but I personally love our Christmas tree the best. We always have a real tree that we buy each year. Everyone in my family loves the smell of fresh Christmas trees.  Decorating it is always a family affair.  Our ornaments are not the same, they don’t match the décor, but they are ones we have had for years.

With every ornament we place on the tree, there is a story and a memory. I like to look at them and remember when we got it and why.  Some of them are ones my sister and I got when we were born. We used to try and place ours higher than the other.  Others we made when we were very young like the star ones we made with glitter on them.  We have ornaments that were gifts from friends and teachers.  

When I was in 7^th grade, we did secret Santa, and I got an ornament that was made out of a dog biscuit. I remember how upset I was because I thought I was being called a dog. I didn’t particularly like the girl who gave it to me, but I think our homeroom teacher did that on purpose, maybe to make us become friends. It didn’t really work. I still have the ornament and it is still on my tree every year.  We have beach themed ornaments. I got my mom an angel made out of seashells in the Bahamas that now goes on our tree.  I also have Noah’s first Christmas ornaments and a frame of him and me as a baby.  My mom made some stuffed ornaments when I was a baby that always goes on the bottom of our tree.  I love that we have a variety of Christmas tree decorations vs. a standard tree with meaningless ornaments.  When I look at them I remember all the Christmases of the past. Decorating the tree while my Grandma Rose was there, dancing around wearing the Christmas tree skirt and all the happy memories each Christmas brings.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree?

My Favorite Holiday Planning Tips

I can’t believe that the holidays are just around the corner again. It seems like we just had them.  I wanted to share some holiday planning tips with you to help you make your holiday season easier, and more memorable. The holidays are a great time for family to spend together.

 

1.Start new traditions with your family. Traditions have to start somewhere, so why not try something new like baking or watching a certain movie every year.

2.Remember that it is never too early to start your holiday shopping. Some people even start the day after Christmas when there are great sales.

3.Order and address your holiday cards early. I know that is something I tend to forget to do. Then when it time for your holiday cards to be sent, you can just pop them in the mail.

4.You can make really cute homemade ornaments to add your own special touch to your tree or your yard. I still have ones I made probably when I was my son’s age.

5.Use an online retailer for your unique holiday cards, to save time having to go to tons of stores to find the perfect card. I really like the designs of the Storkie Christmas cards.

6.Shop online for gifts that way you can shop at 3 or 4 am and your children will have no idea what they are getting. This is a must if you are a single parent.

7.Plan your holiday menus early so you can anticipate the meal. My family always has appetizers on Christmas Eve, so it is fun to pick out what we are going to have.

8.Holiday card pictures don’t have to be holiday photos. You can use the perfect family picture you took on vacation or just your favorite picture from that year. One year my sister used a photo from her wedding.

9.Organize your ornaments in totes and keep them all together. I keep mine in red and green totes. I have tons of totes so when it comes to decorate I know exactly where they are without having to open every tote looking.

10. Wrap Christmas lights carefully and put them in brown lunch sacks. They won’t have a chance            to get tangled with the other strands.

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I wrote this blog post while participating in the Storkie holiday blogging program. I received compensation for my participation. All opinions are 100% mine.