How old are your Chirstmas decorations?

Unfortunately, I've lost most of the older ornaments that were handed down to me from my mother and grandmother. I moved so many times at one point in my life that it was very hard to keep track of everything. I believe that a box of Christmas things, ornaments included, were either lost or stolen by the movers I used once. Of course, the box wasn't noticed missing until it was far too late to do anything about it. But, I have made many ornaments since then, several with my kids when they were young. I'd pull out all the craft stuff and we'd have fun. I have ornaments made by my oldest and closest friend and, each year, I add a new one to the tree. I did inherit all the ornaments my mother and stepfather had. They always had an artificial tree and decorated it with beautiful crystal ornaments. I'm almost afraid to use them on my real trees because they might fall and break but it would be silly just to keep them in boxes so I do use them. Well, I doubt I'll use them this year because I've decided not to get a tree. I just haven't been in the mood to decorate this year. I did decorate our picture window and got one of those cute Charlie Brown Christmas trees and that's also in the window, decorated with one red glass ball. It's pathetically sad but so cute. LOL I'm concentrating my energy this year on baking things to give as gifts. I do this every year anyway but I'm going overboard this year, plus I'm making things I've never made before, things I've always wanted to but didn't have the time. Now, I do.

I remember alot of ornaments lost down through the years. Ones my daughter made when in grade school. Popsicle sticks made into a painted gold picture frame with her picture. Ones my grandmother gave me. Two pieces of glass with candy canes or something painted on them. Folded doilies made out of golden foil by my mothers. All ones I have lost somehow down through the last fourty years. I recall my first Christmas with my ex husband. We didn't have much money and we found this little Charlie Brown tree that we set up between the stand and chair in the living room. Whenever you went to set down or moved the chair the least little bit the tree fell over. And the six ugly ornaments we had. Old and tattered. What a poor Christmas but how special.

I don't decorate, but when my mom did, we'd look at her ornaments and she'd remember where she got them, or if they were made - and yes, I made some, but not when I was little. All her decorations on her little tree were different, a tree I stitched, a house she got in Germany, a hummingbird, a Navajo style angel from the four corners area. But after she had to go into the health care center, I think my sister may have taken them with her to Tennessee.

Sadly, there are no heirloom decorations in my house, although there is a plastic santa that I brought for my grandmother years ago before she passed away. I set it up every Christmas as a reminder of how fragile life is.

Our Christmas decorations started when we bough our first tree as adults when our daughter was having her first Christmas. I can remember buying the lights and the tinsel and all the dangling balls that first year of her life eleven years ago. Since then we have only added the odd piece of decoration here and there, but our two children have contributed artwork from schools over the years, particularly when they were little. This habit of doing crafty Christmas decorations at school seems to have stopped now as they have gotten older, which is probably for the best as our tree is quite full with it all! My parents still have the same tree that they bought in the early 70's when I was a child. They have way more decorations now than I remember as a child though. I think my mum likes to get something new each year!

What a good question you have there! Some of our christmas decorations are old especially our CHRISTMAS TREE. Its about 5+years old. Since i was a child we use that christmas tree because it always gives good fortune :) And for the other christmas decorations, some of our balls are also OLD but they still look cool because we clean it to make it shiny and sparky :) Thanks for sharing your experience and i hope you appreciated my post:) Happy mylotting and advanced merry christmas :)

Hi Jen; My Christmas ornaments include ones from when I was a child to ones I got just this year and all the time in between. Heirloom is right. I like to think of many of my Christmas decorations as such. I just love Christmas time, pulling out the boxes stored for the past 11 months. Such precious memories that they all hold. There is something about each and every one of them that has Special meaning. The handmade decorations are particularly intimate. I suppose somewhat like the ones your grandmother made but also that of your children. Especially the ones with the kids pictures. Funny how they laugh at them when they see them. Lol. Great idea btw. Something even more precious to look back on at this Special time of year. Merry Christmas Jen and All the Best to you and yours. Cheers!

I know exactly what you are feeling here. I used to do the same thing, but my ornaments that were for or by the kids, I passed on when they had their OWN first Christmas tree. My mother gave each of my children an ornament every year with their name and or the year or both, every year. Some were engraved, some she painted the names/date on and others were just ornaments for them. I have an aunt who sent me a box of handmade ornaments, when the kids were young, with a crocheted stocking for each of them AND a tree skirt to match. The coloring on the stockings were each different with the red, green and white, and we remembered from year to year which belonged to who by these colors. I still have a box of older ornaments, but have no room for a tree, so I have a table top one which I bought all new ornaments for last year and a few this year, as well. I remember always remembering something about those older ornaments and especially the ones for the kids. One year my mother did the 12 days of Christmas, since she had 12 grandchildren she started with the oldest, as the first day, and proceeded by age to the youngest. It was really cool. It was these that she painted the names and dates............possibly so SHE would remember whose was whose!!

Good morning Jen, good for u for saving all those. I have done the same thing, i have some really old one as i'm old myself, lol.To me things like that are what makes A cRISTMAS TREE a good tree. I haven't put up a tree in years. Before my youngest left home he didn't want to bother to get the tree out of the attic & complained about all that old stuff i put on the tree so it's still in the attic.

I have old ornaments too. By old I mean since my husband and I have been together which is almost fifteen years. They do hold special memories especially the hand -made ones created by our daughter. I have a little photo Christmas tree shaped frame she covered with glitter when she was around four and it is there is a photo of her at that age all covered in face paint! It has a hook on it so I always hang it on the tree; it is so precious to me... My parents are the ones with the really ancient decorations! All the best for the Festive Season Jen...

We still have the same fake tree we had from when I was born, in the attic. I don't think we've pulled that one out for over 5 years. But the family has a little one now and they just use that one, with not much ornaments on them... they're pretty much already attached on the little tree. I think we still have the ornaments we used to put on the big tree in the attic as well, and in those, I think we have the ones I've made from kindergarten.

I might be an old softy but I'm the same way. Seeing all those old Christmas decorations takes me back to my childhood. My mom still has most of them but I have some old ones as well. I started collecting unique and handmade ornaments years ago and I have quite a collection. A lot of people like the shiny new ornaments but I much prefer the older, unique and personalized ones. My mother is a woodcarver so I have a lot of hand carved ornaments that I really treasure. I'll pass them on to my son and I hope he passes them on as well. They're special decorations for a special holiday.

We are just starting out. I think the oldest ornaments we have is just 4 years old. The thing is, our ornaments keep getting less and less every year! We had the bright idea of getting the breakable decors the first time we decided to buy them. So, every year, the kids end up breaking more and more decors. A couple of years ago, we started to shift to the stuffed animals. Maybe these would last longer.

Jen I have ornaments that I have collected withing the last 21 years. Each year I added to my collection. After the holidays I pack them away in nice storage bins. I can't begin to tell you that each time I unpack them it is like reliving each year. As I tear of joy remember the sweet moments when my children and I shopped for all the special ones.

Some of mine are 6 years old but I had to replace some this year for the Tree But my Ornaments are mostly old ones, some do not work any more but I will be keeping them and putting them up every Year

Morning, Jen! The little (very, very old) Angel, replete with tattered lace dress, and matted blonde hair (and NO light) is so old, it is one of the few possessions my Father brought from Sweden when he immigrated, so I know that it is nearly 65 years old...and so often, I wish it could tell me of it's journies thru all the Christmases past...I have had it since 1972, and NO Christmas would be complete without it atop the tree. If only she could speak! Take care, have a great day! Just got another notice from Care2, I guess you did not open your birthday card, I am sure you have deleted it already...but still want you to know I did wish you a wonderful birthday. HUGZ!

I have a few things from when I was a kid in particular some plastic candy garland I remember my mom putting on our tree. Sadly like many things as you move over the years every so often it seems you loose an orniment or they get damaged. So in a way I feel like we are starting out all over again every few years.

for years i kept so many things like that. but in the past 6yrs since i lost my house, ive moved so much, ive lost tons of stuff like that. plus my kids have seemed to think that im way to big of a hoarder and i believe it, so ive also tried to cut down and accidently lost track of things.