Show Me Christmas

You can tell a lot about a household by its holiday decorations. Some families go all-out, lighting up the entire neighborhood with flashy exterior lights and elaborate themed displays. It’s almost as if they’re compensating for a problem that lies just beneath the surface. Others wear their ambivalence on their sleeves, maybe putting up a decoration or two half-heartedly – or even leaving their lights up all year round for convenience’s sake.

Then there are the households that put family first – the ones with trees that have been painstakingly decorated. The decorations themselves are often homemade, whether they are the result of class arts and crafts projects or just the fruit of a boring afternoon from years past. Handcrafted Christmas ornaments have a unique feel that can’t be duplicated by mass-produced knockoffs, and provide just the right amount of holiday cheer.

In our family, decorating the Christmas tree has always been a sacred family tradition – right up there with the camping trip we take each summer in Michigan. When Christmas Eve comes around, the cooking and baking begins early. The grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins filter into the house in waves, all eagerly anticipating the feast that’s sure to follow. We finish up the ham, potatoes and vegetables just in time to get ready for Midnight Mass.

But before any of that takes place, my husband sets the scene by topping the Christmas tree with one of our prized genuine Polish Christmas ornaments. The tree topper is the most important of all ornaments as it’s the first guests will bother to notice. Every year without fail, family and friends heap praise on the tasteful ornament, saying that it reminds them of small-town Christmases of old.

There is nothing like good old fashion ball ornaments for your Christmas tree especially if they are equisitely hand blown and hand painted glass ornaments from Poland. 

 Whether they are rhapsody in blue or Baroque revival they are sure to win squeals of delight as well as astounding appreciation of a true work of art.   These ornaments are so beautiful that I am sure they will please the most particular of collectors.

Happy Decorating!

Decorating a Christmas tree each holiday season is a favorite activity among many. Over the years, people will accumulate quite a collection of ornaments for their tree. My family had to branch out our ornaments over two trees because our collection grew so big. A family tradition, we’d purchase a holiday ornament with every vacation we took. Based on our collection, I guess you could say that we really like to travel.

Maybe you prefer to handpick your collectable holiday ornaments. From a glass Christmas ornament to a family of Disney characters, the decorations on your tree should represent you and your family. This way you’re tree will not only be a symbol of Christmas, but it will represent the loving memories you share with your parents and siblings. Any season will be jolly when shopping for Christmas.