Traditional Christmas Memorial Ornaments:
The death of someone we love is always a difficult and sad time. There is no way to fill the gaping hole in our hearts when someone dies, but with time that space fills in slowly as we remember special times with them. With each passing birthday, holiday, and anniversary our hearts feel little tugs as reminders come to make us smile with gratitude for the gifts they brought to our lives. Many of our customers purchase traditional personalized memorial ornaments like our “In Our Hearts Forever” or “Love Keeps Us Close” keepsakes as subtle tributes of the love they shared, often placing these memorials as central pieces in their homes. These can be hung year round and make thoughtful commemoration gifts for family members and special friends. Of course, they are also beautiful when displayed on a Christmas tree.
Ideas for Non-traditional Christmas Memorial Ornaments:
This month will be one year since my father passed away from a brief, but intense illness. As he faded away over the course of a few months, I made more than a dozen, 1200 mile trips to be with him. Each time I left his side, I whispered “I love you and thanks” as the doors of the hospital elevator closed. We were extremely close when I was a small child, followed by 2 decades where we barely spoke at all. In time and in anticipation of his grandchild’s arrival, we connected again and spoke nearly daily from then on. I will always be grateful that the olive branch was extended and successful. My dad loved to fish and to bbq. In a non-traditional way, I think of our Fishing Guy or BBQ Guy as memorial ornaments personalized with Dad and the date of his passing, as sentimental keepsakes celebrating his passions, especially during Christmas. I want to remember him enjoying the things he loved the most.
There have been times processing ornaments in our warehouse that have taken our breath away. We receive large orders from hospice offices for our “Forever in Your Heart” memorial ornaments, which are often chosen as memorial gifts, as a form of commemoration for families who are experiencing grief and recent loss. There have been orders that I have witnessed firsthand that I will remember for the rest of my life. One of these orders was placed by parents for an ornament per year from birth to the teenage death of their child. The ornaments included a “New Baby”, a dinosaur, a video game controller, “New Driver” and a “Memorial Cross” as keepsakes. To repeatedly add personalized touches like the child’s name and then realize the family story is heartbreaking and humbling for our team. We grieve as we process these types of orders, often in respectful and reverent silence.
Memorial Ornaments and Keepsakes for Pets
This year my beloved rat terrier Buster also “crossed over the Rainbow Bridge”. I often joked that I lost the bet and was outnumbered when we adopted him from a puppy rescue at 8 weeks old. Our son beamed with pride as he selected this new special member of our family. Even as he gnawed on my baseboards with his puppy teeth and dug poofs of mini clouds in my new Berber carpet, Buster brought us more smiles and love than we could ever imagine. He was just the right and perfect fit for our family. Even when he died abruptly and well past the age of 16, my heart was crushed, but definitely grateful that he had been part of our lives. Buster used to enjoy walking up and down the ornament aisles at Holiday Traditions, especially during Christmas when the decorations were particularly festive. Of course, the staff loved and giggled to see him quality control checking the kitty cat ornaments. Our personalized pet memorial keepsakes include memorial ornaments like a Wooden Dog House, a Paw Print oval, and a Rainbow Bridge ornament, just to name a few.
Meaningful Tokens of Remembrance
At times of loss and sadness, memorial gifts like our personalized keepsakes and memorial ornaments can be small tokens of comfort. Our family-owned, small business has been customizing Christmas ornaments for more than two decades. We know how important quality keepsakes are to our customers. We do not take that responsibility lightly, especially when it means memorializing someone’s loved one. We are grateful to be a small part of the stories of joy, as well as in times of need. Please know that we are here for you in both, and let us know how we can help.
