31 Days of Decorations: Day 31 Fancy Pants Santa

This is my one fancy Christmas thing. It was my Grandmother's Lennox Santa.

 

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31 Days of Decorations: Day 30 More Kids' Trees

Each kid has his or her own tiny tree to decorate as they wish. It started last year with a purple tree that Signa really wanted. Will got blue...

 

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31 Days of Decorations: Day 29 Cats

Now I'm not one of those weird cat ladies or anything, but for some reason, once people find out you have a cat, they start giving you cat Christmas stuff. Collect enough and you, too, can create a cute scene with Santa.

 

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31 Days of Decorations: Day 28 Avon Snowglobe

The year I got married (1988), I went to a party and someone there sold Avon and I drank too much and bought this. Which I love and it was a great drunken purchase.

 

 

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31 Days of Decorations: Day 27 Treats for Santa

I bought this set long before we had children?..

 

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31 Days of Decorations: Day 26 Manger Scene

This is the nativity scene that I picked out at an estate sale. I love it, even though I'm not religious. Yes, I put snow around it each year. I think that's inaccurate, but it looks pretty.

 

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31 Days of Decorations: Day 25 Stockings

This is the stocking my mom made me when I was little. It's huge. Gigantic.

 

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31 Days of Decorations: Day 24 Reindeer Food

Every year we make a big batch of reindeer food and sprinkle it all over the lawn.

Reindeer Food

1 cup oats

1 cup sugar

2 tblsp green sprinkles

2 tblsp red sprinkles

 

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31 Days of Decorations: Day 23 Nana's Houses

My grandmother gave us these houses for Christmas for a few years. When I take them out and decorate with them, I always think of her.

 

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31 Day of Decorations: Day 22 Advent Tree

This is the first countdown to Christmas thing I bought myself. The ornaments are all numbered and each day a new one goes on. I think I got this our first married Christmas. I enjoyed decorating it each year and now the children do it.

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31 Days of Decorations: Day 21 Office Party Mishap

We used to exchange ornaments at work via a game whereby everyone would have to guess which ornament was for whom. We don't play any longer as it's too easy to guess when you've been together as long as we have, but this was mine one year. The year after *That* Christmss party. The one that I shall not speak of again.

 

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31 Days of Decorations: Day 20 Gramma Trees

These decorations aren't at my house, but at my Mom's. Formy nephew's first Christmas, my mom put a small tree up for him. Each year, he picked out an ornament for it that represented something from the year. When my kids (and my other nephews) were born, she added trees. Since I imagine that I will continue this tradition if i have grandchildren someday, I thought I'd share the origin.

 

 

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31 Days of Decorations: Day 19 1975 Badgley

We aren't really sure where this came from. Badgley is Mom's maiden name, but in 1975, that name had been long taken over by Dad's surname. So Mom doesn't remember this ornament, but it's been on my tree as an adult from our first Christmas. My best guess is that my step-grandmother, known for her particularly bad gift-giving skills (a blog topic for another day), had these made of HER married surname and gave away for gifts. Perhaps there was a deal for getting the same surname on all? Or maybe she just didn't care to remember everyone's different names? Regardless, I actually like this one.

 

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31 Days of Decorations: Day 18 Shooting Star

I got this when I worked for the hair salon in Palo Alto. One of our weekly clients gave it to me and I thought that was so wonderful.

 

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31 Days of Decorations: Day 17 Ballet

Signa started a dance class in 2005. She was this tiny little puff of a thing who listened to the teacher and then told everyone what to do. That year for her tree at Gramma's, Mom ordered these. But they were too big for the small tree, so they go on ours.

 

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31 Days of Decorations: Day 16 Zombies

My mom lovingly bought these cute foam gingerbread men for her grandchildren to decorate and hang on the tree. My children promptly made zombies. These will forever be on my tree.

 

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31 Days of Decorations: Day 15 Awkward Gift

I started at this current job 17 years ago today. Just a couple of days later, they had their annual Holiday Lunch in San Francisco. Since I had been there only hours, basically, I was shocked they got a gift for me. It hangs on my tree each year, reminding me of that first week in insurance.

 

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31 Days of Decorations: Day 14 Reindeer

Signa and Will made these one year. Guess which one is the girl?

 

 

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31 Days of Decorations: Day 13 Strung Around the House

These are each VERY large and were hung around Mom's house when she lived with my aunts. There was one for all my cousins and their families.

 

 

 

 

 

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31 Days of Decorations: Day 12 Disneyland 2006

We got these on our first trip to Disneyland. Signa was 4 and William was 6 months.

 

 

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31 Days of Decorations: Day 11 Thankful

One Thanksgiving, we had everyone write something they were thankful for on a piece of transparency paper. I then hung that inside a clear glass ornament. This one is William's.

 

 

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31 Days of Decorations: Day 10 Maine

We got these ornaments during our visit to Maine the summer of 2011.

 

 

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