What Makes Christmas Ornaments So Special?

December 14, 2022

This article "What Makes Christmas Ornaments So Special?" was updated on 11/27/22

Christmas is one of the best holiday periods of the year, and it is no surprise that this season comes with lots of smiles, joy, and happiness among friends and families. As the Christmas season draws close, we want to discuss what makes Christmas so special among families and friends.

Aside from sharing gifts and other decorations, Christmas ornaments are important this season. Ornaments come with the representation of various moments of our lives. Whether there are parts of the Christmas tree decorations or a picture frame, a personalized ornament can never go wrong during Christmas. And that makes you wonder, how special are family ornaments during Christmas? Read on as we discuss all that here in this post.

Waiting for Christmas? What Makes Family Ornaments So Special?

If someone asked us what defines Christmas other than Jesus’ birth for us, we’d say ‘family time’ in a flash. After all, the season really is the time for family and friends to reunite and make happy memories, don’t you agree?

Just some beautiful magic around Christmas time makes one’s heart yearn to be in the presence of family. The sound of children, parents and grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews getting together and recalling past times is music to one’s ears. It is a season when you can’t help but wish to celebrate all the past momentous occasions of life.

How do you go about this route of celebration? Of reminiscing good old times and reliving beautiful memories of the past?

For us, nothing makes memories feel more poignant than ornaments during the Christmas season.

You may be wondering why to bother with Christmas and its related traditions while it's still only August, but hey, there can never be a time that is not good enough for all things Christmas. Could you name any other event during the year that feels as special, festive, beautiful, and cheerful as Christmas? The gaiety, the laughter, the fun, the parties, the gifts, the trees, and most especially, the ornaments can never fail to pull all the strings of our hearts, even in the middle of August.

We know we are impatiently waiting for the Christmas season to roll in and for us, now is as good a time as any other to start talking about ornaments. After all, they are the highlights of every Christmas season.

The Joy Of Christmas Ornaments

One cannot compare the priceless joy of unfolding ornaments as a family each year and going down memory lane again while recounting the story behind each one. Couples may have stories of their first Christmas together after falling in love. Children may share their first recollections of putting up a tree with their grandad and grandma. Grandparents may share stories of their childhood, and so on. This, in a nutshell, is the true essence of festive holidays. And this is what makes family ornaments so special.

This interesting tradition brings an incomparable joy and uniqueness but even more unique is the story of how the tradition began. Since we’re talking about all things Christmas, it would be great to put a carol in the background, grab a cup of hot cocoa, and rediscover how the first family ornaments began.

History of Christmas

Fir trees have been symbolic to winters since times immemorial. For centuries, people have held those plants and trees that remain evergreen all year round in high regard. In fact, people would always spruce up their homes with fir and pine trees to celebrate the winter season.

From the ancient Egyptians to the ancient Romans, people would match their ornaments and traditions with a significant life story. However, every story had a common theme, a unifying symbol: the renewal of hope and life.

As per the historical reports of people, back in the 16^th century, a monk used a tree while representing the Holy Trinity in his preaching about God. The first time the monk linked the tree with the Trinity concept during Christmas, it gave birth to the Christmas tree tradition.

Not long after, people conceived the idea of decorating their Christmas trees with ornaments. They began with apples, gingerbread, and similar items, but glassmakers and craftsmen soon converted this tradition into a thriving business. This began the journey of Christmas ornaments into what we use today.

The Christmas tree itself became a denotation of the hope and peace that Jesus Christ brought with His birth. The evergreen element represents Jesus’ immortality, while the lights in the tree represent how Jesus’ birth lit up our once dark and hopeless world. The ornaments are the story of us, our families, our journeys together, and the moments we have lived throughout our lives on the earth thus far.

What Makes Christmas So Special? Personalized Family Ornaments?

As we mentioned earlier, family time defines Christmas, and ornaments usually carry significant stories in our lives. An ornament, as small as it may appear, can tell different stories. From symbolizing moments such as your first Christmas after engagement to representing your first Christmas as a couple, all in an ornament. So, what do you make of having a personalized ornament this Christmas? I will discuss a few family ornament ideas for Christmas.

New Home Family Ornament

If you are celebrating a new home or know a friend who is, personalizing a home ornament would be a good idea. Since celebrating Christmas in a new home with family is also regarded as what makes Christmas so special, you can never go wrong with this ornament.

Click here to check out this ornament.

Twin babies' First Christmas

If your family or friend is celebrating their first Christmas with their twins, this ornament is the perfect one to represent this moment. It is also amazing that you can personalize it with the name of the babies. Also, this ornament would match the occasion for couples looking to introduce new twins.

Click here to see this ornament.

Proposing Couple Ornament

You can also celebrate a recent engagement with a befitting ornament during Christmas. The date and names of the couple can also be customized on the ornament. Other family ornaments are available in our collection, so check them out to see which one tells your story best.

If you want this ornament, you can check it out here.

Personalized Ornaments as Keepsakes

If you haven’t heard this description, family Christmas ornaments are invaluable family heirlooms worldwide. People pass down their special ornaments from family generation to family generation. The stories behind each piece are one of the reasons ornaments are a huge part of what makes Christmas so special.

Every year, you will find an array of ornaments, each with a special story behind it, which families proudly display on their mantles, tabletops, and trees. When you visit any person's home celebrating Christmas during the season, you get to see layers of family moments wrapped around the Christmas tree, making simple greenery so special in its sentimental value.

Handmade ornaments take the spotlight during the season, as well as the crib, Jesse tree, stockings, reindeer, and others. Despite the years gone by, the tradition of exchanging ornaments as Christmas gifts remains alive.

What could make a better gift than choosing something that marks an important event or memory in life? A couple’s first Christmas ornament after their marriage was a tiny house with their house number and names imprinted.

Twenty-two years later, they still proudly decorate the ornament on their tree with their children, remembering the first one-bedroom house they owned. The beautiful memories wrap around the successful marriage and the beautiful family they built and give them more reasons to celebrate and be grateful for each holiday.

Years often drift us apart, and time makes it impossible for loved ones to reunite as they once did yearly during the holidays. Especially in situations like these, ornaments are more poignant, as they enrich your hearts and the memories with thoughts of your loved ones and what you shared with each other at some point in life.

Final Thoughts

When we start following traditions as mere rituals, we often lose the essence behind them. This season could encourage you to revive the age-old and beautiful tradition of exchanging family ornaments.

Perhaps someone in your circle just got married this year and will be celebrating their first Christmas together, or maybe someone had a baby or moved into a new home.

Make this momentous occasion even more special by gifting them an ornament to recognize this special event in their lives. So that when they celebrate Christmas in the later years and unfold your ornament each year to decorate their tree, their hearts will overflow with joy and emotions when they recall the precious memories behind it. A moment like this is what makes family ornaments so special during Christmas.