This week's Fun Monday is hosted by katyabug. It is a fun and simple assignment:
In the spirit of the season I would like to see your favorite Christmas tree ornament. Not to be confused with the WHOLE tree. I want you to zoom in and show me one or a few(you know I can't choose just one!) of your favorite ornaments. If you don't decorate a tree, show me your menorah or dreidel, Kinara, or Yule Log. I want to see your favorite decoration for this holiday season.
I went with a decoration rather than an ornament. This is my favorite Christmas item. I must have been about twenty years old, maybe twenty-one. I was working in the human resources department of a large employer in Tulsa. It was the late eighties, I was going to put up my first Christmas tree of my own, and I didn't have one ornament. I had allowed myself a budget of about fifty dollars for the tree and decorations. One of the ladies I worked with was selling Christmas decorations that she had made. They were beautiful and I fell in love with them. One in particular caught my eye. It was lovely, seven pieces, all hand painted, with a Christmas tree that actually lit up. The price was $50. Because each item was hand made, she required orders to be placed in October and payment up front. I had never spent $50 on anything outside of my wedding dress before. Back at the time, my weekly grocery budget was just $40. I ordered it anyway. I'm so glad I did. We still enjoy it today as much as I did that first Christmas, when it was the only Christmas decoration in my house.
31 comments:
It looks so cute and special, no wonder that you bought it !
That was money well spent, although it was hard to have spent it at the time. It brings back good memories. Thanks for sharing. Nekked Lizards
that was wise of you, to buy one nice decoration rather than a whole bunch of cheapo ones.
it's very very cool.
we have a little nativity scene that the hubby bought when he was a teenager. It is getting very worn...but he still have much fondness for it and brings it out every year.
That is really cool and a neat story to go with. I wonder, is it ceramic? It looks lovely!
Gattina, I do really love it.
NLL, at the time, it was a lot of money for one decoration. I felt like a spendthrift.
Well, I don't think I made the decision with any wisdom. I bought it because it was so damn cute.
I love decorations with history. New ones just don't have the same meaning for me.
Thanks, Lisa, yes it's ceramic. Hand painted and then fired, I think.
Looks like $50 well spent.
nikki
And you still have it and love it, whereas you probably wouldn't have really cared much about a whole mess of glass bulbs and tinsel. Smart move for such a young girl!
Susan at A Slice of Life
Wow - very nice! I'd say your money was well spent and paid for many times over!
Dreaming What Ifs...
Obviously the expense was worth it... great train.
Adorable!
My favorite Christmas tree ornament is a clay gingerbread man that I made when I was four. It's lumpy and misshapen, but adorable all the same.
It is lovely and I definitely think it was worth the money
Very cute train set.
You mentioned that you had a similar set of elves to the green felt one I pictured on my blog. We've got several in red and several in green and also some with gingham clothes. They can stretch their legs out or fold them up.
It's always lovely to keep old decorations and ornaments getting them out year after year. They hold so many beautiful memories.
Crystal xx
Great story. The train has its own tree. Such a lasting deal over all these years.
Hey, what's the big idea! Unfair doing a poignant post, I'm getting all misty.
That's really lovely. I bet you're so glad you bought it.
How cute! That would have been a tough purchase for me to make, but I would have done it, too. You made a great decision.
Oh wow! What a great story behind your train. It's lovely and meaningful and those are the best decorations of all!
That little train is definitely worth the $50.
I think that was a wonderful investment. It is great! Once in a while it's fun to splurge. Hand made and unique better than made in china....
How wonderful! Gosh that is so special!
What a precious Christmas train that you have. The train must bring a flood of wonderful memories every year.
My wedding dress cost more than $50 but just $6 more. That was in 1966.
You could have bought a whole lot of things you didn't care about much, but instead you bought something you still love.
That was $50 well spent.
That's a really cool train. Thanks for sharing your story.
A wise choice all those years ago has created a family heirloom.
That is darling! Money well spent.
Wow. That was handmade? It's beautiful. I understand why you blew the bank on one thing!
It is adorable...money well spent!
That is lovely!
A truly lovely decoration, and something special like that I can understand why you bought it. Definetly worth it!!
Christine@AreWeThereYetMom
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