Christmas Ornament Memory Lane

In general, I'm not a huge fan of photo ornaments.  The exception, however, are the photo ornaments the kids make at school, because these lovingly handmade ornaments document the kids as they grow each year, from how big they were to what to their smiles looked like to how advanced (or not) their art skills and creativity.

This post should probably have been a Flashback Friday, but since there's only one more Friday between now and Christmas and I already have a different series of flashback photos planned for that day, I'm going to throw these photo ornament flashback photos up here today.  It's a lovely walk down memory lane for me.

The kids' photo ornaments start in 2008, when Will was two years old, as that was the first year we had him/them enrolled in a daycare/preschool during the holidays.  Unfortunately we don't have any photo ornaments from 2010; we were moving and the kids were "school-less" during the month of December.  

This photo is blurry because the photo in the frame
is blurry, and the frame is a piece of junk - completely tarnished
and scratched.  I keep it anyway though, as the photo is of
Tom and me on our first Christmas as a married couple.

Will, two years old in 2008.  (The ornament is a snowman.)

Will, three years old in 2009.  (The ornament is a Christmas tree,
and his face is in the gift box under the tree.)

Hallie, eight months old in 2009.  (The ornament
 is a reindeer.  A confused reindeer.)

Will, five years old in 2011.   (The ornament
is a Christmas tree.)

Hallie, two-and-a-half years old in 2011.
(The ornament is an elf.  An uncomfortable elf.)

In 2006 - the year Will was born - I started a tradition of giving Tom and Will (and then Hallie too) a new ornament when we decorated our Christmas tree.  My goal is always to capture in the ornament the character, experience, or activity that captured their hearts that year.  Here are a few of my favorites. 

As a three-year-old, Will was obsessed with pirates.
(Here and here.)

In 2011 - our first full year in Texas - pepper-loving
Tom received this Christmas tree made
of hot peppers and wearing a cowboy hat.

In 2011 and after our trip to Disney World, Hallie
couldn't get enough Minnie Mouse. (Here.)

This year, my little Tink received her own Tinkerbell ornament.

This year I FINALLY found Tom a disc golf ornament.

And this year, Will loves him some Tom & Jerry.

Tom always buys me an ornament as well (though he usually forgets and has to run out to quickly find one once I suggest that we decorate the Christmas tree that evening).  I didn't take any pictures of the ornaments he's given me, because - while he means well - they're often a little, well, different.  For example, I've been obsessed with The Hunger Games since June (here and here).  Just about everyone I encounter knows this, so there's no way that someone living with me couldn't know that.  I mean, the kids know, and they made sure Tom knew so that he'd buy/make me a Katniss cake for my birthday.  But when it came time to find me an ornament, Tom didn't purchase me a Hunger Games or a Katniss or a bow and arrow ornament...he bought me a Charles Woodson (who plays for the Green Bay Packers) ornament.  Don't get me wrong - I love football and I love the Packers (especially when they wear cowboy hats), but I don't even know what position Charles Woodson plays.  (Don't hate me, Packer fans.)

I'm not complaining.  At all.  I love that Tom scrambles at the last minute to find something I'll like.  But I'm going to just put it out there now - in 2013 I want a Twilight Christmas ornament for my tree.