Advent Calendar Dec 3rd - Christmas Tree Ornaments

When I was a baby my paternal grandmother established the tradition that each of her four grandchildren would receive an annual Christmas ornament. When her Christmas package arrived each year in the mail, we always searched for that gift (she would always mark it) so that we could open it to display on the tree. As we researched the end of our high school careers, she decided that this tradition would end at age 18, so we each have 18 ornaments from her. Many of them are Hallmark ornaments that have a year label on them. I have them all and put over half on the tree each year.

While our tree has no real theme, I do have a Christmas decorating theme that I carry throughout my house of Gingerbread Men. Nearly a decade ago, my maternal grandmother found a Lenox Gingerbread Man ornament which she ordered for me. What she didn't realize is that they are an series so the next year she got a flyer in the mail asking if she wanted another. Needless to say, I have 8 or 9 of the most darling Gingerbread Men to hang on my tree. They each are different so it's always fun to see each year what the new ornament will look like.

I have always been a fan of "Gone With The Wind" ever since I read it in a literature class in high school. Shortly after I was married, I discovered Hallmark was doing a series of Scarlett and Rhett ornaments based upon the film. It seems like they were in the third or so year of the series, but I managed to find the first couple. Each ornament displays a beautiful replica of one of the elaborate costumes from the film, including Scarlett's green and white dress for the Twelve Oaks barbeque, the red velvet gown, her black mourning clothes, her wedding dress and even the green gown she made from the drapery. I also have a couple of Rhett ornaments and even one of the two characters together. It's always fun to take them out of their boxes each year and hang them on the tree.