"Mom, look, it's my puppy angel!"
"When did I make this? I forget."
"Oooo! I love this one!"
"Oh look! It's the mouse I made when I was in first grade!" (Which the gents think is uproariously funny, the idea of their old Momma in first grade.)
Ten Favorite Christmas Ornaments (in no particular order and without too much thought because otherwise I'll find one or two or ten more that just have to go on the list):
The younger lovely lady's very first ornament, a Momma bear and her cub. It reminds me that I was so in love with being a mommy.
My sister gave me this ornament. Years ago, I moved in to a new apartment with a friend right before Christmas. We hadn't even had time to shop for groceries or unpack our boxes, but we had a last-minute Charlie Brown Christmas tree. This tiny angel went on the top of the tree. On Christmas morning, my friend and I ate m&m's for breakfast (no groceries, remember), exchanged small gifts, and commiserated about the relationships we'd left behind.
The eldest fine young gent's first ornament is really a little elf doll that sits in the branches of the tree. The gent was pretty tiny, only a month old on his first Christmas.
The ceramic mice I painted when I was a first grader. Mrs. Jorgenson, my first grade teacher (I wrote about her here) wasn't a completely bad egg. Her sister owned a ceramics studio, so Mrs. J undertook the considerable hassle necessary to arrange for two separate field trips for antsy first-graders to visit the studio and paint their own ornaments. I still remember painstakingly painting two little mice in Santa hats.
The angels. Lovely lady, 13, has the Angel of Love. Her sister's ornament is the Angel of Independence. Fitting for each, my loving heart girlie and my free spirit. And fine young gent, 6, has the only ornament I could find with a boy on it. I forget what his is supposed to represent. Playfulness, maybe? The younger gents weren't around the year of the angel ornaments.
Beeswax ornaments. We try to make gifts for friends and teachers each year. This year we made beeswax ornaments. They are simple, lovely, and they smell delicious, just like honey.
Cross-stitched ornaments. Each child has an ornament that matches his or her stocking.
Oregon ornaments. One for each child, they're all beautiful.
Crocheted Santa. Grandma Ruby crocheted these ornaments for my family when I was still in high school. They've since passed on to our own trees.
Snowflakes. So delicate and pretty. This was made by a friend of my mom's, a knitter. I have one or two made my my sister, too. They're so lovely against the dark green of the tree.Cristy's ten favorite ornaments
How to make Beeswax OrnamentsYou need:
Flat sheets of beeswax
Metal cookie cutters in Christmas shapes
Narrow ribbon
Beads to thread on the ribbon (optional, but very pretty)
Jingle bells (also optional, but festive)
Cutting board
Scissors for the ribbon
Find flat sheets of beeswax. This was the hardest part of the craft. Craft stores, places that sell honey, the internet, candle-making kits all sell flat sheets of beeswax. I've heard that places that sell Waldorf supplies also stock beeswax.
Lay one sheet of beeswax on the cutting board. Choose a cookie cutter, and cut two of the desired shape.
Tie a knot near the top of the ribbon, leaving a loop for a hanger. Thread a bead onto the ribbon and push it up to rest against the knot.
Place the ends of the ribbon on one of your beeswax shapes. Place the matching shape on top, matching the edges and press gently. The two shapes will stick together, with the ribbon inside. If you've left your ribbon long enough that you've got decorative ends dangling from the bottom of the ornament, thread a pretty bead on each end and tie a knot to prevent the bead slipping off.
Voila! you're done! You've got a lovely sweet-smelling ornament for your tree or someone else's.
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