As a child, I remember my mom would go to Hallmark to buy a Christmas ornament for me and my sisters. They always had the year. The usually had our age, what grade we were in, and a picture (more than likely a school picture). I didn’t really give this yearly ritual much thought but our mom did this faithfully from birth until we were eighteen. She gave all of mine to me at some point in my twenties when I had my own apartment in a whole different state. I looked them over and smiled at the nostalgia but they ultimately went into a box and into my closet.
Christmastime last year the box of ornaments came out but I had no tree to place them on and no energy to put one up. This year I am back in my mom’s home with a Christmas tree that has ornaments hanging proudly on it. Two of those ornaments belong to my daughter.
A Christmas Ornament for Each Year
Last year I wrote about creating Christmas traditions. While buying a Christmas ornament for my daughter each year is not a new tradition, it is one I want to continue. Her ornaments don’t have the a picture of her and only one has the year on it (I will write the year on the other). But they are representative of something in her year. Last year’s ornament celebrates her birth. This year is a Moana mickey mouse ornament since it was the movie that seemed to capture her attention no matter how many times she watched it.
I cannot wait to continue marking her years in milestones one ornament at a time. I look forward to being able to give them to her one day or get misty eyed when I sit down and reminisce with them. Who knows…she just may keep up the tradition herself.
