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Saturday, December 19, 2015

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

It's not snowing at my house, and probably won't, but that does not stop the calendar. The snow will not be missed and Christmas cannot be missed, so all is right with the world.

A few weeks back, in November, John Grey wrote a bah humbug post about hating shopping, especially for Christmas decorations for family to hang on their respective trees. 

I thought at once of my friend Linda, and her ornaments. She began making ornaments for friends and family, probably as far back as 1965. She's still making one every year. It's never too late to start.

I wrote on John's post that day of the ornament Linda made a couple of years ago, after Alberta moved to Florida to live with Marcy. I remembered Linda cleaning out Alberta's apartment, looking at all the downsizing that was left behind. "What am I going to do with these?" Linda  sighed over a box of Alberta's collection of salt cellars. One showed up at my house, months later, with a red ribbon tied around it, a tree decoration.

How about a post of Linda's annual ornaments, I decided, and called her.  "They're all in the attic," she said, and not coming down this year because I'm going to Cara's." I am so rude. "Go look anyway," I wheedled, not to be deterred.

Later that day I got emails, loaded with pictures. A dear friend of Linda's did a downsizing move this year, and not bearing to dispose of any of her collection of Linda's ornaments sent a box full, which Linda laid hands on immediately, and stood in her attic and photographed a few. 

I asked if she wanted them attributed and she said no. You see a cute picture, she explained, and throw it in a drawer and later on make it. Someone else does the same thing. These projects just go round and round, anyone can do it. I know Linda, she'll be explaining some of them. The little bird house goes back to 1985; her dad helped with those.

















The star is Linda's ornament for 2015; hanging on our tree.



And here's an ornament my sister thought of earlier this year and made one of for each of our brother Walt's children. Sawdust from a board the old cornmudgeon master wood worker never used. Those stickers are a mystery, but there was a roll of them on his drafting table, so Jan added one of them, too.



To all my kind and lovely blog friends,
wonderful holidays to you.

28 comments:

  1. how creative all those ornaments are, I am hoping for a white christmas

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  2. These are beautiful, Joanne, and so is your header! Merry Christmas to you! Sending you warm hugs and much love. :)

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  3. Handmade is the best - from the heart. Have an especially wonderful holiday with you and your girls.

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  4. Those are the ornaments which capture the very, very best of Christmas. Ornaments to be brought out each and every year.
    I hope your holidays are wonderful. Really, really wonderful.

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  5. The paper clip angel made me laugh. A good third of ours are salt dough ornaments that our daughter, grandchildren, and others made over the years and then we painted with acrylic paint. Homemade/handmade ornaments are treasures.

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  6. and to you. I don't do christmas so no handmade ornaments. but, when my children were still in school and they wanted valentines for their class, they had to make them. I supplied paper, doilies, glitter, glue, and whatever else. I would not buy store valentines. if they wanted some to hand out, they had to make them. they were the only kids who ever brought in handmade valentines.

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  7. I think the value of each one is in the smile that comes from remembering where it came from and when. You are indeed blessed to have so many wonderful memories and the tokens to go with them. Happy Holidays. Solstice is Tuesday!

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  8. Hari OM
    Outstanding handiwork!!! Heirloom dec's are the best... of this little collection, the paperclip angel is definitely my favourite (though the windmill comes up... aw heck, they're all great!!!) I hope you have a wonderful holiday fortnight, with or without snow. I fly back to Edinburgh on Christmas Eve - it's just starting to get hot here. It will be a change... Blessings to you and yours dear Joanne! YAM xx

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  9. She has quite the imagination when it comes to making ornaments. Happy Holidays ti you too.

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  10. Ingenious decorations all. They are a wonderful tradition.

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  11. Our oldest granddaughter is 30 years old... I've sent her (and her sister who is 2 years younger) a Christmas ornament since their first Christmases. (and continued now with our 4 year old great-granddaughter). I wish mine were homemade but they're not. But just before we headed to Mexico, my granddaughter told me she'd gotten out all her ornaments and remember each year and what they represented. I love those kind of traditions and it looks like your family does it up right.

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  12. What wonderfully weird ornaments, I love them. Snow or no snow, have a great Christmas.

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  13. Nice decorations, have bags full of similar. Best of the season to you, and will happily ship some snow if you wish.

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  14. Such a great variety of ornaments with I am sure wonderful memories behind each one of them!

    betty

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  15. yes, indeed a memory behind each one. The paper clip was always one of my favorites. I have done these since about 1965 and my sister since 1980. The only year of identical was the tongue depressor santa. We both had a laugh that year. The glass globe is lint from under the loom. I have given my best to my daughter. The turkey wishbone from our first new home and the turkey wishbone from my wedding turkey-with glitter added are favorites. Anything can be an ornament as long as it as a memory for the recipient. My baby shoe is one of my daughter's special ones. Someday some will laugh and throw them in the trash. Oh well, their loss. Most of the memories are private and they are the best. thanks joanne. a few out of the approximately 50 i have produced.now saved on the net. You are a good woman and a wonderful friend.

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    1. I congratulate you on your ingenuity. I am inspired to rethink what ornaments can be.

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  16. Those ornaments are all so lovely, I love the little birdhouse and the glass balls filled with stuff and the little woven Santa is too cute for words.
    Merry Christmas to all of you, from Adelaide.

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  17. Dear Joanne, what a great idea! I love to do projects with my hands (though our modern Kindergärtnerinnen look haughtily at "handicraft" - I peeled myself an egg on that (a German idiom) and did it nevertheless with son when he was a child. I might copy this blog-idea! Thank you for all your heartwarming no-nonsense posts. I wish you a beautiful Christmas and a Happy New Year! Britta xxx

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  18. What pretty and innovative ornaments Joanne.
    I do hope you all have a wonderful Christmas too.

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  19. I have quite a few "homemade" and special ornaments given to me over the years by friends and family. They are more precious to me than a box of gold. I look at them and remember and as long as I can do that, I will have joy.

    I hope you and your wonderful family have a very Merry Christmas, Joanne.

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  20. Happy holidays to you and yours, Joanne!

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  21. I made a Christmas ornament for a law office party in 1987 and won the grand prize - a dinner cruise for two people on a catamaran off Waikiki shore.

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  22. That is a lot of ornaments to make through the years (Linda mentions 50 or so). Several of them are familiar to me; we must have read the same craft magazines!

    Lovely.

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    1. And Happy Holidays to you and yours, Joanne. Hope Santa's good to all of you.

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  23. How lovely to see these decorations. seasons greetings to you all x

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  24. Merry Merry and a happy New Year. Hope you are all safe and happy.

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  25. What wonderful ornaments. My favorites are the old ones that the kids made for me. I hang them on the tree every year! Merry Christmas Joanne. I am glad to have called you my friend this year!!

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