There are two grandmother’s influencing my ornament tradition with my granddaughter. One is a lesson of what not to do. The other is a lesson of what to do.
The first is my paternal grandmother.
She was a very talented needlework person who could make anything. Each year she made ornaments and gifted them to everyone she knew. Everyone, dozens and dozens.
These were always very very cheap ornaments. None of these survived my childhood. At some point they were all pitched or donated. I do not have one. Probably no grandchild in the family has one.
It is such a shame, she was such a talented person. With a different goal, her 11 grand kids could have had beautiful handmade ornaments to cherish.
The second is my husband’s mother, our children’s grandmother. She was not a talented needlework person, but she could do needlepoint.
She gifted an ornament to each of our kids each year. Some of these were needlepoint made by her. Others were higher end ornaments handmade by others. She only had three grandchildren, our three, she was not buying for dozens.
Oldest and middle have Christmas trees. Their childhood ornaments are on their trees. (Youngest’s ornaments are still here.)
In oldest/DIL’s case, oldest’s childhood ornaments are the only warm/homemade ornaments they have. The rest of the ornaments are glass balls and the like.
Granddaughter’s ornaments added to their tree will be lovely and warm. I am careful to send ornaments that blend with the color/style of their tree. I am also careful to write on them, her name and the year.
