Thursday 20 December 2007

Remembering Christmas Past

Hauling the Christmas decoration box up from the basement brings some nostalgic moments.

This tiny wooden nativity scene was one of the first tree ornaments bought after OlderSon was born. It's been displayed on the tree every year since.

And the teddy in the high chair marked YoungerSon's first Christmas.

The "Beaded Garland" strung between the lights has been part of Christmas for me all my life. It's made of fragile silvered glass beads and glass tubes strung together, and the large beads are silver foil wrapped around ancient crumbling newspaper. On close examination, I found that the newspaper is Chinese. It was part of my father's family Christmas long before I was born, and probably is at least 100 years old.

What special decorations do you have that bring back memories?

24 comments:

  1. Wow, everything was made in China, even back then. :-)

    Thanks for sharing the beautiful ornaments with us.

    I'm going to Chinatown for dim-sum with my Jewish friends on Christmas day. It's a very common practice for them and they invited me since I'm not with family this holiday.

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  2. We do two trees one with all the ornaments my wife and I have collected over the years, and the other tree with all the old ornaments that we have from our family's. So one tree is filled with memories of our twenty three years together, and the other is filled with childhood memories, and by the way both trees are seven foot artificial trees so we are not cutting down two trees every year. Here is wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas. Lloyd and Ranger

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  3. Oh what neat memories. I wish i could say i had some, but i gave all the old decorations to all my kids for them to put on there trees.
    Just like gave them all the old photos.

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  4. Our Christmas fairy is about 50 years old now, Sue has had to make at least three new sets of clothes for her.We also have a few coloured tree baubles (balls)that are over 30 years old.

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  5. Check out my blog for ornatment and picture......awesome, those beads.

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  6. Heehee, I knew it would only be a matter of time before somebody commented that even back then, China cornered the market in cheap and cheerful decorations, and Ming, It had to be you! :-)

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  7. quite wonderful! and thanks to ming for a hugely amusing insight!

    your post is very poetic.

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  8. ex-shammickite....can you help me?
    I want to be able to direct people to another site without putting the url address like you have done. Can you tell me how to do that or direct me to a site that would explain how?

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  9. No sorry, no decorations for memories.


    Sat Photo Hunt up now.

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  10. We put up the Nativity set every year that we bought the first year we were married, so its 43 years old. Also every year we set out 3 little Christmas trees that my Mother in Law made. They are pine cones which she painted and decorated with natural seeds etc. they took a long time to make and we treasure them.
    I just love all the memories that come wafting back as the decorations go up.
    Merry Christmas
    Sue

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  11. We have given each of our children a personalised decoration each year since they were born. Two out of three should be home by tomorrow, so we can start decorating our tree which currently stands in its underwear. I should be able to show some of the decorations on my blog by Sunday.

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  12. These are very nice indeed.

    I'd like to take this chance to wish you a very merry Christmas. I might not get the chance to comment here again before so just in case... Have a great festive time and keep safe.
    from
    Tom, Jane, and our friend Big Peter

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  13. Thanks for your help! I have done it but it doesn't seem to work..it looks right though so maybe other can access it. Thanks for stopping by too:)

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  14. Your treasures are that, treasures. I started buying ornaments for my grandchildren with each Christmas they celebrated and those will be the treaures, I hope, for future years. Otherwise there are no special ornaments in our family I'm sad to say.

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  15. Your heirloom beaded garland is the best. I don't think i have any of my childhood Christmas heirlooms, tho i wish I still had that aluminum tree, lol!

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  16. What lovely ornaments....all of the ones that were special to me are with my brother and I haven't seen or spoken to him in 2 decades. Knowing him, he sold them.

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  17. well, I am not Christian but will celebrate Christmas for other reasons... since its a good excuse for a party. :P

    Merry Christmas and have a safe and healthy new year!!!

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  18. As far as the sign on my blog if you are so messed up you cant stay on the sidewalk I don't know if you could read the sign, maybe it is for after you fall in the gutter and are laying there looking up wondering what happened you would see the sign and at least know where you are. hee hee.
    Lloyd and Ranger

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  19. Very cute ornaments. Great shots.

    Thanks for visiting my NorthBayPhot blog.

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  20. Wishing you and your family a merry Christmas and a very happy new year! :)

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  21. i love old old and especially family decorations - that silver arland is lovely.

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  22. I LOVE the memories that come every Christmas, Ex-S, when I bring up the boxes from the basement. The most favorite memories are associated with the different ornaments that go on our slim tree...from the different places we have visited over the years!

    But your glass garland beads take the cake!

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  23. Sadly I have nothing that dates back as my mother abd nana used to chuck all the 'old stuff' out!!!!! Merry Christams to you and your family!

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