Catching up

[constance]

I really kind of love my ornament collection. It's not perfectly coordinated, nor is it in, er, perfect taste, and it's not even in perfect condition, but every one of the ornaments has sentimental value for me. I don't recall buying more than half a dozen ornaments in my life; everything was given to me by parents, relatives, friends of the family. Here are some of the highlights.

	01 Tree with the lights on.
	02 Tree with the lights off.
	03 The oldest personal ornament I have (it was given to me the year I was born). It's seen so many, many better days that it's progressed beyond ratty and is heading into creepy territory. But I still love it.
	04 My sweet little Mod Angel, with the green hair and the blue, blue eyeshadow and the false eyelashes, and that's not even to mention the outfit. If I thought heaven were really like this, I'd be a lot more eager for salvation.
	05 One of three, count 'em, three, Little Miss Muffett ornaments...
	06 ...because nothing says Holiday Cheer quite like a little blonde girl running screaming from a pipe-cleaner spider. (The third LMM ornament's just like this one.)
	07 Tennis-playing Santa. Enough said, really.
	08 One of two gnome ornaments...
	09 ...because no one ever hesitated to indulge my childhood obsessions. (Alas, the unicorn ornament, from more or less the same era, died a peaceful death a few years ago.)
	10 I thought this one was so glamorous, with its sophisticated color scheme of gold and aqua. Truth to tell, I still think it's glamorous. Also, I like the way the gnome is looking consideringly at this one. I think he thinks it's glamorous too.
	11 The blood-dipped mutant albino reindeer. Who doesn't have one of these, right?
	12 This ornament actually belongs to my cat, Alex, who I had to put down a couple of years ago. Flannery has one too, although my mother has long since decided that our pets probably don't really need ornaments of their own.
	13 The top-hatted, trumpet-playing satin goose. Many's the morning I've been woken up by a flock of these guys outside my windows. They seem to prefer Louis Armstrong.
	14 My grandmother gave to me or else made about half the ornaments on my tree. She made all three of these, which happen to be hanging next to each other.
	15 She also made the angel on top of the tree.

Comments

[thalia]

Pretty! I love your ornaments, tasteful or not. [g] And the tree looks fabulous all lit up.

[tofty.livejournal.com]

This is the first time in many years I've had a full-sized tree and got to put up all of my ornaments. I've missed them! :D

[gmth.livejournal.com]

Awww, pretty! I have an absolutely obscene love of Christmas ornaments. I have been buying one for each of my nieces and nephews every year since they were born, and every year I buy 5-6 new ones for myself. I can't even fit them all on my tree anymore, they're too heavy and weight it down too much. But I can't bear the idea of parting with any of them. :-)

[tofty.livejournal.com]

I can't bear the idea of parting with any of them

I KNOW. I have a shoebox full of ornaments that are too fragile, battered, and/or stained to put up, but I will never throw them away. I should start buying my niece Christmas ornaments, too -- what a good idea! :?

[somniesperus.livejournal.com]

Oh, what a beautiful tree! It's so shiny and sparkly and festive.

It must be nice to have pretty Christmas things to decorate your home.

*looks at cat*

[tofty.livejournal.com]

Hahahahaha, you will note that my tree is up on a table. It is also behind a set of French doors. I have learned my lesson about giving pets full access to the Christmas tree, and I have learned it the hard way, so I totally feel for you. Here's hoping your next place will be one with a place you can shut Tater out!

[tilney.livejournal.com]

Oh, how beautiful! You ornaments have so much personality! The blood-dipped reindeer! The tennis playing Santa! Glory.

[tofty.livejournal.com]

Never let it be said that I have one of those coldly, impersonally lovely Christmas trees, man. I'm going for the tattered, weird, and unabashedly sentimental approach. (Although I have to admit that many of my ornaments are actually beautiful. I just didn't feature many of them here.)

[isiscolo.livejournal.com]

Pretty!

[tofty.livejournal.com]

I can't decide whether you're being funny or not. But hey, thanks! :D

[amelia-eve.livejournal.com]

I love your tree! It's so personal and quirky and homey.

I haven't had a tree since I moved to New York -- just no space for it here. I usually make do with some sort of arrangement of pine boughs or holly in a vase (since I loathe poinsettias). I got a nice piney smelling candle to burn this year, since I'll be away for the actual holidays so not putting anything up.

I still have a lot of ornaments in storage, though. Maybe I should put garland up around the ceiling and hang the ornaments there next year. I miss them, looking at yours.

[tofty.livejournal.com]

You should do that, definitely! I don't have a tree every year, because I don't usually spend Christmas at home, but I do enjoy them when I do take the time to do it. I bet you would too -- you just seem the type. Which, of course, is only one of the reasons why I love you.

[ainsley.livejournal.com]

I love ornaments with history, and that's a gorgeous angel.

[tofty.livejournal.com]

I think she's gorgeous, too. I missed my grandmother this year when I was putting up the tree.

[resonant8.livejournal.com]

Oh, what a good idea! I think I'll do this, too.

I got your card! It's beautiful! The kidlet has basically taken it over; she goes around making everyone use it so she can tell their fortunes. So I had to show her how to make a fortune-teller, and then she wanted me to write the fortunes in each one. "When I was a kid," I said, "we used to put the names of boys in there. But I'll bet you don't even know eight boys." (She goes to a very small school.) She counted them up and said indignantly, "I know ten!"

um, that was meant to say: thanks for the card! It has given much pleasure to the household, and it's beautiful, and so is your handwriting, and so are you!

[tofty.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you liked the card! It was a blast to put together, although I still find the nonmatching letters to be a little troubling. And I'm very proud to've introduced the kidlet to the wide and exciting world of origami fortune-tellers!

I think you should definitely do this. I love to see people's Christmas trees. *beams at you*

[emily-spinach.livejournal.com]

Lovely! We have a very similar crocheted snowflake ornament. I believe it was made by MY grandmother, too!

[tofty.livejournal.com]

Crocheting tree ornaments seems a very grandmotherly thing to do, doesn't it? :D

[laurelwood.livejournal.com]

I love this post! (And that you inspired resonant8 to do one, too, because you both have such an excellent assortment of ornaments!)

Clearly, I've been living a sham of a life all these years, because I don't have a blood-dipped mutant albino reindeer ornament. Or Santa playing tennis, either. I must remedy that somehow, but these look too vintage for me to think I can just whip out to Cost Plus and find them.

And hey, look at this! (http://pics.livejournal.com/laurelwood/pic/000a82rs/)I'd love to be able to say that the card arrived on the same day I opened the corresponding advent calendar envelope, but they only missed each other by three days! (The older girl on the right, BTW, is the one kid-who-isn't-mine who I adore just about as much as if she WAS mine.)

[laurelwood.livejournal.com]

And can I just mention again how much I love my advent calendar? It's hell having to wait for the girls to wake up so that I can open an envelope each morning while they're doing theirs. And oh, the jubilation this particular morning when I correctly guessed "Hungarian"!!!

[tofty.livejournal.com]

*beams at you!*

[tofty.livejournal.com]

Oh, but surely you have some wonderful ornaments of your own! In an ideal universe, my entire friendslist, and especially the people I most adore, would post pictures of their favorite ridiculous and untrendy ornaments. *hints*

I would offer you up the blood-dipped reindeer, because anyone who doesn't have one really, really should, but I'm too attached to it to give you mine, I am selfish that way. If I ever see another one, though, you can bet it'll be headed your way in the next available post. :D

Awww, how fabulous! What are the odds you'd get two cards wishing you a sretan Bozic (plz excuse lack of accents)?