This is intended to be a spinoff of the "What ornaments are you adding this year?" post.
It seems like quite a few of us are collecting ornaments for our kids to take with them and put on their own tree eventually. As a mom of a boy, so likely a future MIL, I always wonder how this will be received by my (possible) future DIL.
Did any of you receive ornaments from you or your SO's childhood? Do they mean something to you/SO? Do you put them on your tree? Do they sit in a box?
persimmon / 1385 posts
I have most of my childhood ornaments because my mom puts up more of a "designer tree" now with ribbons and berries and such. My mom didn't get an ornament for me specifically every year but we always got one from our travels. I put them on our tree, and I think it's fun to reminisce with her about them. But I'm a daughter, so... We do not have any ornaments from DH's childhood.
nectarine / 2018 posts
I have all of my childhood ornaments! As well as many that belonged to my parents when they were still together, some of my mom’s from when she was a kid, some of my great aunt’s, and some of my grandmother’s! I love having them! My mom puts up a small table top tree now so she had no use for 90% of her ornaments.
We have quite a few that were DH’s when he was a kid, including lots that were made by his grandmother. They may not be my style but I love that they have history and meaning to DH!
We have both sorted through the ones we have been given and separated them into three categories. Ones we love and want on our tree, ones we love and want to keep but do not currently display, and ones we don’t care about. For the ones we don’t currently display - we figure we may want them once DD’s ornaments are gone or if we get tired of some of our “trendy” current ornaments. These fit in a small box though. For the ones we didn’t care about we offered them back to each of our moms but if they didn’t want them we donated them.
cherry / 160 posts
My in-laws picked out an ornament each year for each kid and we have all of my husbands from then, including a hand written list with an explanation of why they picked the (the best part!).
For my parents, when I moved out they offered me a chance to go through all their ornaments and pick my favorites (they had final veto power for any of their favorites). I have a collection of sentimental ones and some "filler" ones from them. I'll probably pass those filler ones onto my sister when she moves out and gets her own tree since I have plenty now.
grapefruit / 4278 posts
I got an ornament every year from my Grandma and have them all for my own tree now. It's fun to share them with my kids and watch my 7 year old act like 1982 is the stone age.
My mom is carrying on the tradition with my own kids. I'll hand them their box of ornaments when they have their own home and they can do what they want with them. I'm not going to be offended if they don't put them up, but certainly hope they do use them.
blogger / apricot / 439 posts
My MIL saved every single one of my husband's childhood ornaments. She gave us like three huge boxes of them shortly after we got married.
It has actually been a really big annoyance if I'm being honest. Several of them are really icky - like Star Trek ornaments that he picked out as a pre-teen and that we really don't want on our family tree (and that have very limited sentimental value for him). Also, it limited our ability to build our own collection of ornaments as a family.
I would say that if HE seemed to care about the ornaments more, I would be much happier to display them. But he seems to view them as a box of crap and I feel stuck in the middle because I have no clue which are meaningful and which are not. If there were explanations of the ornaments as someone else mentioned, that would be so much better and so helpful!
nectarine / 2018 posts
@MountainBaby: I have been keeping a list for DD of what she picks for her annual ornament (or that we picked the first couple of years) and why it is a good representation of the year. I am also keeping track of any that were gifted to her, who they were from, the year, and any reason they give. I hope she likes looking at it when she is older. The notebook lives in our Christmas decoration box but I also keep it on google docs just in case it gets lost.
kiwi / 662 posts
My MIL gave us a box of ornaments from DH's childhood. We put them on our tree every year, and he enjoys seeing them. I appreciated when my MIL did this when we first got married and wished that my mom would give me some of my childhood ornaments too (she eventually did give me a couple, but not the same number as my MIL did). I like that the ornaments have a history to them and aren't all new ones!
@MountainBaby: Love that list idea!!
pear / 1565 posts
I don't have any of my childhood ornaments; they still go up on my mom's tree! I suppose when my parents pass that's when we'll inherit them (hopefully not for a long time!)
DH's family never celebrated or put up a tree 
nectarine / 2085 posts
I have a collection of ornaments from my childhood, but they're mostly handmade by family, which is why I wanted and kept them. My mom and I made a bunch, I have a few I made with my grandmother, and a couple that each of my Grandmas made for us.
The handful of store-bought ones that were passed down to me almost never make it on my tree, but my grandmothers' embroidery always does and so do the ones my mom and I made together.
I am not specifically identifying or collecting ornaments to be passed down, but I will keep all of the handmade ones, and I do occasionally paint new ones with my son to keep up the little tradition we have going. I doubt we'll do much sewing together, because I'm not nearly as good as either of my grandmas or my mom, but I do like to paint, so that's what we do. I don't worry about what a future in-law might think of them, because I decorate the tree the way I do for me and my family, and it makes us very happy! 
apricot / 286 posts
My MIL gave me two big boxes of ornaments. While I appreciate it, I don’t have the room for all of them and I want to start my own tree and traditions. I asked DH to pick out his favourites and those are the ones that go on the tree.
persimmon / 1385 posts
Thanks! You guys are giving me hope that there’s a decent chance they’ll be well received. I fully acknowledge that some (or all) of them may have more memories and sentimental value for me than they do for him.
@catgirl: The sorting makes total sense, not everything is going to have a memory attached. I have some passed down ornaments that always end up in the bottom of the bin and rarely make it on the tree but I can’t seem to get rid of them.
@MountainBaby: I was thinking about writing down the “whys” of each ornament. Thanks for the push!
@kiddosc: My mom put the ornaments on our tree this year and it was so fun to hear her explain who made what to DS. He was really into it!
@Mrs. Starfish: Oh my. Yeah I can totally see that many as a giant anchor... Hopefully 18 or so won’t feel like a burden.
@foodiebee: Yay! With all the picture perfect “designed” blogger trees out there it is so nice to be reminded that people also love the sentimentality.
@graceandjoy: Ha! I do wonder if I’ll really want to give them up... 
@honeybear: I have old handmade ornaments and those are the ones that definitely make the tree every year. Maybe I need to start getting more crafty with this project.
persimmon / 1385 posts
@charm55: I think that’s fair! I wouldn’t expect every one of them to evoke emotion in someone.
On a side note, did you offer the rest back to your MIL? Maybe that’s how I’ll plan to handle it, take what you want and return the rest.
coconut / 8483 posts
I’m saving for my kids future trees but totally get they won’t put all 18 on forever!
My mom literally saved none! So I don’t have any. I wouldn’t be surprised if my MIL has some but she hasn’t given them to us. We have an over packed very non-designer tree so I’d gladly take some if she did. I’m chill about my tree
nectarine / 2018 posts
@BadgerMom: I just wanted to say my MIL really appreciated that we offered them back to her if we didn’t want them. Especially since she knows we kept and use quite a few. It then allowed her to make the choice on how she felt about the rest.
Thankfully we like, and prefer, an eclectic tree. Neither of us had themes or color palettes growing up. Just a mix of meaningful ornaments - some homemade and some store bought.
I plan to tell DD that we got her an ornament each year and kept track of the ones she received as gifts so she could have a collection to start with whenever she gets her first tree. But that we have no expectation that she has to use or keep them if she doesn’t want them. We would just like her to give them back if she doesn’t want them. I never want her to feel that this is a burden she has to deal with.
apricot / 286 posts
@BadgerMom: no... they’re still sitting in my storage room. I don’t know if she would be offended if I offered them back. But I hate storing things I don’t use so I don’t know what my long term plan is haha. They were all in their original box and most had never been open in the first place so Dh has no childhood memory of 95% of them.
apricot / 286 posts
@Mrs. Starfish: yep. I’m the one who feels like I need to do something with them (aka guilt) and my Dh really could care less.
kiwi / 662 posts
@BadgerMom: honestly I’ve always wondered if those themed blogger trees are just for social media and their real tree is, like, off camera. I mean, do they really buy all new ornaments and garland and EVERYTHING every year? They don’t have any ornaments they pull out and want to see every year? I even loved that as a kid! Maybe I’m more sentimental than I thought
nectarine / 2180 posts
Our moms kept the ones we made them as gifts in school but have all of the rest. Both of our moms gave us an ornament each Christmas and many still make our tree today, we edit slightly but the majority make it up as they are sentimental and we love sharing stories about the memories they evoke. I am a sap.
persimmon / 1467 posts
I have the ones my grandma bought me each year. As well as a few I made in middle school. I love pulling them out, plus it helped because we have very few at the beginning. I don't actually like coordinating trees and would prefer to have no meaningless glass balls.
I made ornaments with the kids this year. I don't think I will do that every year, maybe every other. I do have two boys but I still want to have some for them. DH has none from childhood but it would have been nice if he had some. DS1 has two so far from a family friend and those will definitely go with him when he is on his own.
ETA I am not very sentimental and keep very little sentimental stuff. Ornaments are nice because they are so small and useful. They don't clutter up a shelf by can be appreciated once a year and packed away fairly easily.
pomegranate / 3127 posts
I have several of mine, despite two moves. And even a couple that my mom had before I was born. It's all at my parents' house now... I don't dare put up a tree at my place because it won't be safe from curious little fingers 
coconut / 8079 posts
I don’t have any ornaments from childhood or DH’s. We keep our tree pretty simple and so far our ornaments are mostly things DS1 has made.
clementine / 920 posts
@MountainBaby: I love the idea of writing out a list with an explanation for each! Everything is so fresh in my mind now but will be great for my LOs to look back on when they get older. I did print a tag with the year to attach to each one as a start.
My Mom also let me choose ornaments to take with me when I moved out. My aunt used to gift me an ornament each year so I had a nice collection to start. Now I have a similar system to others where I only put special ornaments on the tree, store some others and have donated a few. We don’t have any from DH’s childhood so maybe I’ll bring up up to him to see if he wants to ask his Mom for any sentimental ornaments.
pomelo / 5258 posts
My parents didn't give me any and my ILs didn't pass any down (yet) either. We always had Winnie the Pooh on the top of our tree growing up (I honestly have no idea why). The first year I had a tree I felt incomplete without it. Then I happened upon an exact match at a thrift store. DH does not get it and Pooh is only near the top of my tree but he makes me happy.
pomelo / 5621 posts
There are none from DH’s childhood, apparently MIL was very particular about her tree.
I have a few from my childhood, like babies first Christmas and a few others. My mom has gotten my sisters & I an ornament almost every year since we’ve been adults. We have some really nice handmade ones too.
Both my boys have a babies first Christmas ornament. DS1 is 6 and starting last year I’m letting him pick one ornament to buy each year. In a year or two I’ll let DS2 pick one as well. If they want these when they move out then they can take them, otherwise I will keep them.
grapefruit / 4466 posts
My childhood ornaments are the only ones we have, as this is our first year having a tree (lived my entire adult life in super small apartments where there wasn't room for anything but a tabletop tree...) They have a fair amount of sentimental value, as they were all gifts, many from people who are no longer living....
A bit off topic, but... if I want to get LO an ornament, where's a good place to pick one out online?
grapefruit / 4361 posts
I have all of my ornaments from My childhood and I am so thankful. My husband didn't get a lot of ornaments or maybe they weren't saved or whatever, but he has none of them, but he doesn't seem to care. I would have gladly welcomed them. I am also open to having more than one tree so having lots of Ornaments doesn't bother me.
nectarine / 2431 posts
The ornaments from my childhood are probably all broken in a box somewhere in the garage. I remember there be sentimental ones that we put up each year and then we suddenly started doing other generic ones (glass balls etc.) So that's a "no" from my parents.
My MIL, on the other hand, buys each of her sons an ornament from a specific collection each year and displays them on small trees in her house. They never seem to care about recieving them. My SIL apparently asked for her husband's ornaments but I'm kind of like "meh?" I would rather have ones from our family that are significant of our lives together, so I don't plan to buy any to gift our kids. Someday, I will pass on their first birthday ones, etc but not for a long time.
nectarine / 2047 posts
My parents gave my sister and me an Old World Christmas ornament every year and I LOVE having them on my tree now. My husband and j have been married for almost 9 years and get an ornament for every trip we go on and still have plenty of room for more ornaments. We also get DS an ornament from the same line that represents his likes and interests from the past year. I’ll pass them on and hope that they’ll use them, but won’t be (too) disappointed if not. But I would definitely want them back if they decided not to.
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