Christmas Ornaments

I will never understand the folks who decorate Christmas trees the way they do in hotels--a selection of 5 ornaments repeated 100 times each all in the same color scheme. Like an interior decorator put your tree together to go with the oriental rug in your living room. Blech.

My peeps do it German-style (though, no actually lit candles on branches). Lots of traditional wooden ornaments from Germany, but also a million different ornaments collected over the years, made by me or my brother in school, made for us, made by the ladies of the family as party favors for the old big super-extended Christmas parties (a tradition, we probably shouldn't have given up on), things we picked up on vacations. Every year, Mom and I share the storiesthat go along with all of them. They're really important. . . part of the family history/mythology.

Check out some of my favs:

So 40's or 50's, this white reindeer with red eyes. In bottom of frame is a reindeer head I made for everyone as Christmas gifts years and years ago. . .

Cincinnati was Porkopolis, so pigs show up more than one might expect on Cincy trees. This was homemade by my mama.