I celebrate Christmas and have the upmost respect if you don’t.
I started collecting old Christmas tree ornaments in the 1980s as it seemed no one really cared for them back then. I could buy full boxes for a couple of dollars at tag sales, thrift shops or at auction. Those days are now long gone as the value of antique/vintage ones have gone through the roof.
For those of you with cats, you will understand this. My stray cat, Kenny Jose, who showed up at our back door one day in October, 2007 and decided that he was moving in with two humans and two dogs. He suddenly took control of the household. The first Christmas, he promptly climbed up our live tree and knocked it over along with breaking my grandmother’s ornaments and many other old ones. From then on, we only had trees with white lights with nothing else on them for the twelve years he was here. Even after Kenny Jose passed away, we continued this. This year with my spouse in South America for a month, I thought I would do a big surprise and decorate the tree. What I did not realize is how many old ornaments I had accumulated over the last fifteen years of not hanging them. I was literally shocked. I still purchase them when I find them very cheap but when I started putting two or three ornaments on the same branch, I knew I had to stop especially since I had a few hundred that I didn’t use. Those I need to sell.
The tree from three sides. I should have located it in a different spot as it’s very tight here.
Anyway, I wanted to show you some of my mine —
These are my two favorites — the six pointed one on the left and the red star on the right
For many years, this dog was always the first ornament to go on the tree and I would have someone else do the honor of placing it
I have a lot of dog ornaments
I bought the “Merry Christmas Grandmother” ornament for my Mema over fifty years ago. When Kenny Jose knocked the tree over, you can see it broke the ornament and the back is missing. I couldn’t bare to throw it away so still use it. I have absolutely no idea where the Shirley Temple snowsuit tag came from.
Early Santa Clauses are very popular. I especially like the cotton batting one on the upper left and the German tinsel with the cut cardboard face on the bottom right. I have three of those.
This very early Clown one is nice. The beaded elephant was presented to me on Christmas morning while on a safari by a staff member who made it.
and this small wreath hung on my hospital room door in Vina Del Mar, Chile where I spent Christmas with an extreme case of gringo sickness.
Of course, my beloved Kentucky Wildcats are included
This clam shell with a pearl is unusual.
My male greyhound, Roscoe Rolando, use to wear this pen on his winter coat
various musical instruments
This is an 1880s German Kugel ornament
some type of fruit but assuming it is an unripe strawberry
I collect world globes and this one is from a friend
there’s a lot of grapes and pinecones
that’s a fish on the left
a Victorian oil lamp
I also collect old roping especially the really early tinsel and glass beaded ones
I’ve always liked this boot and it originally held candy
Since I’m a gardener who forces a lot of amaryllises, this one is special
an overweight or bundled up skier
I have four or five Pixies on the tree
All types of birds
This old car is too valuable to hang on the tree. I only broke three ornaments while hanging all of these.
I picked up these three vintage Austrian felt animals this summer. I have been told since they are so large that they must have been used in a department store. I thought they would be great under the tree.
So there you have it. I could go on and on as you can see. After fifteen years with a bare tree, this has been wonderful.
I would love to see your favorite ornaments and even more about why they are special to you.