Pledge Class of Ornaments

I shared a week or so ago that I was sorting our ornaments to ensure I had the ornaments I collect for our children ready when they have their own homes and trees. Since our oldest just got his own place I gifted him a box of his pieces. Inside that box was an ornament I purchased for him each year.  So he would not wonder about the meaning of the ornament I always wrap them and then note on the box or bag the meaning of the piece.  One year, I bought him swim flippers for his first year on the swim team.  Another year a stuffed moose for his trip to Yellowstone National Park with his grandparents.  The year he got his driver's license, I bought a traffic cone ornament, and the summer he spent in a leadership program at Georgia Tech, I bought a bumble bee.  As he decorates his tree, a little bit of his life will be in a story, and I love that he will be able to look at pieces and have them strike a memory.   This year his ornaments were a first home + a new car. My daughter got a football and a big Al, and for our middle son, I chose a getaway car as his best friend just got married.

I don't just do this for the kids, but for us as well. But instead of just one ornament I grab about 4 or 5.  I want our tree to show the joys and trials of our lives and I choose ornaments based on things we did, overcame, and accomplishments along the way. I love it when Nathan looks at a piece and asks me about it, usually with a strange look on his face never quite sure how my brain works. 😉 Last night I found the most perfect pink clutch ornament and could not be more excited about it.  It is truly everything a great pink purse should be, bamboo adornments and all.

Melissa Smrekar dubbed the yearly ornaments a Pledge Class, and I love the term. I have rounded up a great mix of ornaments for you to check out, it is never too late to start a new fun tradition!