No talking today - I'm busy cleaning the place up for another round of the 2022 (b) Christmas House Tour.
I can't tell you how many antique ornaments I've broken over the years. I've collected them for the past 20 years or so.
Every year I break at least one of them just due to the Oopsies.
One year my little siamese cat Cleo cat climbed up the tree and sent ornaments crashing to the ground. Another year my entire tree fell over with half of the ornaments exploding on the wood floor like rainbow shrapnel.
And this year I broke my oldest ornament. A very small, mercury glass trumpet from Germany. I haven't paid more than 50 cents for any of these but with every one that shatters, I feel like I've just accidentally picked off the last of an endangered species.
I also feel pretty bad that after 75 years of Christmasses, I was the only asshole to break it.
They're getting a lot harder to find at garage sales and ... even though you can buy some nice (but very expensive) ornaments at antique shows, they're less fun to buy that way. Not just because of the price, but because there's a certain sense of gratification you get from buying antique glass Christmas ornaments from a garage sale.
Whoever owned them first, probably grand or even great grandparents, loved them. Over the years, after time, the family who inherited them stopped feeling obligated to put them on their own tree.
So on a Saturday morning in the middle of the summer they press a $1 sticker onto the box of them and place them in between an old coffee maker and the weights that never got lifted.
My heart jumps whenever I see them because as far as I'm concerned I'm a rescue worker. Like heritage homes and native species it's important to me that these vintage ornaments are saved and get back in a home that values them.
With a homeowner that mourns when they break instead of breathing a sign of relief punctuated by a high five and squealing "Only 17 more to go!"
Please enjoy the puzzle!
Have a good remainder of your weekend.
Kim
How do you store your vintage ornaments?
Barb
Ornamaents, to me, have so many associated memories! I purchase one when i travel and remember the trip every Christmas instead of wondering why i bought that tacky_______ ( fill in the blank) that seemed so evocative of wherever I was! My siblings and I divided the ornaments after my mum's death and those, two take me back to many (many ,many many) years ago. Sadly I dropped one of the glass ones the year she died, much to my disgust!
18:04 for the puzzle.
When we acquired our current cat, he had had a couple of traumatic weeks,;his first owner had to surrender him, he had his nuts nipped ( the cat, not the owner-don't know about him) was stuffed in a box and taken to a new home-on a FERRY! He survived and is the most pampered puss in the parish
may-flower
Thank you Karen! I haven't been really feeling very merry this season, but this puzzle brought a little sparkle to my day.
Gretchen
I inherited my glass ornaments from great aunts. Love them. But my! they are SO fragile. Seems like we lose at least one a season. Hoping this year will be the year they all survive!
Shameless plug for the Advent calendar--it has been a real bright spot.
Curmudgeons unite!
Tanya
I had so much fun doing this puzzle. 26 minutes (well, I was watching the World Cup Final at the same time LOL)
LOVE the ornaments. My favorite.
Merry Christmas!
Alison
Karen, I have no ability to resist your puzzles, but that was diabolical. Thank goodness the pieces are upright or I would be be be holed up for days.
Kippy
Cats means the “tree” is a tabletop one I made of driftwood and no ornaments. The nativity set figures are set in place with museum wax. This prevents constant “what was that noise, what fell” worry. Of course Kippy the standard poodle never bothers the decor. She just runs into the room to see what the action is.
Natalie Carmolli
I have a couple of antique ornaments that were in the garage of a house we bought and sold years ago. They are under appreciated and I’d be happy to send them to you. I’m honestly not sure how they have survived our rather negligent care! Consider it a holiday gift. Send me an email if you’re interested.
Karen
I've sent you the email. :) I'm impressed you saved them from the garage even though they aren't something you'd hang on your tree! ~ karen!
jane
In a span of 35 years and 9 cats, the tree came down a few times and numerous ornaments we collected over the years have gone the way of the dodo. Some are definitely irreplaceable and we've lost count. Haven't replaced the cats yet since we lost the last 2 summer a year ago. The neighbour's cat that visits every day doesn't seem to attack the tree, so we're safe. Whew!
Vivian Lee
Aw, well, Karen, them's the breaks! (har-har!) I had the same experience this year-an ancient ornament fell off the tree and broke. Very delicate little blue glass ornament that had belonged to my parents. The odd thing is that I often don't feel like putting those old ornaments up, they're almost ugly, if I'm honest. But this year I felt very nostalgic as I hung up those ornaments and thus a bit sad when one broke. My dog also chewed two other ones, but that's another story. Luckily, not made of glass! Merry Christmas!
Karen
Sorry to hear that. But yep. It happens. My dog just seems to want to eat the pinecones. Which at least are easily replenish-able. ~ karen!
Kat - the other 1
Ah. Typical behavior for a recently "fixed" animal. Chewing pinecones, thinking he is now a squirrel. Keep a close eye on him. If he starts hoarding / hiding nuts, you may now have a standard poodle squirrel. After the nuts he may start climbing trees and exhibiting other squirrel like behavior. This should be nipped in the bud, no pun intended, if you want him to remain a poodle rather than a confused dog squirrel. 😁
Jack
Lots of memories in those old/antique Christmas tree ornaments, Karen. Some of the new fashion trend and theme trees are impressive, but don't often elicite the nostalgia that repeats each year as one decorates with generations of much-loved ornaments. I still have a few (very few left) from both my wife's and my parents. Also an accumulation of eclectic tree ornaments to fill in and replace, over many many years. I used to make Christmas tree ornaments for the neighbourhood kids when they were young: they're all grown, most with kids of their own, but some of those ornaments still go up on their parents' trees. I also have a collection of indigenous tree ornaments, gathered mostly during my research years, from communities in Ontario, the Hudson Bay lowlands, Yukon, Alaska. They include sealskin birds, a furry anorak clad doll, tiny mukluks, beautiful inside-painted hand-blown glass balls, among others- all with their own memories of my travels. This is the first Christmas I hung them all by myself.
Karen
I had no idea that indigenous tree ornaments were a thing. Those would be even more special and I'm really happy you have some. You're obviously a good keeper of them. I'm sorry to hear you're hanging them by yourself this year. ~ karen!
Emie
Oh, Karen. In 2016 we downsized by half, as we now split our time between Upstate and FL (winter). I was the keeper of both of our families' old ornaments and had nowhere to store them. I got rid of many boxes of them in a garage sale. The younger generations have no interest in them. I wish I had known then that you collect them.... I'm near Rochester.
Christine Hilton
Me too! I broke my oldest,bestest silver ornament this year.We are both assholes.
Karen
We should start a gang. ~ karen!
Sarah Baar
My tree was set up in our farm mudroom which has a concrete floor… needless to say, if I was an asshole and dropped one- it was GONE. May have sent a text to kid at colleges :( man down… ugh
Karen
Ohhhhh you're right around the corner practically! That's O.K., hopefully they sold at the garage sale to someone who still has them. ~ karen!
Nancy
Karen, After a perfectly awful wasted day I found your posting today and the puzzles. They've brought me back from the darkest grinch-cave to a brighter, almost but not quite Stavu-dore (how does one spell that anyway?) moment. Thank you for throwing them into your wonderfully entertaining stories and helping me refocus.
Karen
You're very welcome Nancy. I've made those puzzles especially for de-Grinching people. ;) ~ karen!
Shelagh
We are very privileged to enjoy 4 glass ornaments that accompanied my husbands parents from Holland in the1950’s …
Karen
Good for you for keeping them alive so long! ~ karen
Su
I feel your pain when breaking an ornament. I too collect the vintage and antique ornaments. Just yesterday I turned too quickly when standing by the tree and swiped two of them to the floor. I have polished travertine so no cushioning. Somehow only one shattered and the other bounced oh so delicately. Told myself I didn’t really like the one that broke anyway
Jennifer
So, where I am at with this blog is that it has transcended blogdom and become my Gen X/ Millennial equivalent of Canadian Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. Because the puzzles. The baby chickens dancing to David Cassidy. The butterfly growing from egg laying to flight. Just the cozy joy. I am not sure what else can be said.
Karen
Thank you Jennifer! I think of myself as a curmudgeon so I'm very pleased to hear that isn't coming through. Finally, please tell me you bought the Advent Calendar. YOU are exactly the person I created the calendar for. (I mean not you in particular, but ... you) ~ karen!
Jennifer
Okay. You talked me into it! First thing tomorrow I am jumping into the Advent calendar.
Mary W
Poor Philip! Has he gotten comfy yet? This was my favorite puzzle so far. Complicated but so beautiful.
Karen
Philip is right back to normal - the only problem is he isn't allowed to act normal for another week. No play dates. ~ karen!
SH
See many familiar ornaments from my childhood Christmases. Thanks for the memories.
Christie
I got my first box of antique ornaments in my early 20's from an 80-yr-old lawyer that I worked for at the time - still have them - they are gorgeous and I cherish them! Have been collecting every since!
Randy P
Very nice collection of terribly fragile ornaments. A color bonanza to be sure. I bet if I went up into my scary attic I'd find few that were similar that my ex collected over the years. Thanks for sharing the yuletide fun.
Vikki
What you said! We are kindred spirits.