Hi everyone! We’ve almost made it to the end of the week, and I am more than ready! It’s been a very busy week for me, and I’m looking forward to the weekend. My mom, step-dad, sister, and brother-in-law are all coming up for the entire weekend for my pre-birthday celebration! Birthdays are a pretty big deal in our family, and we all do a pretty good job of making each one all about the birthday individual. John is still trying to come around to this idea. He’s never been big on birthdays, and he HATES being the center of attention so his birthdays since he met me have been a somewhat painful experience. I do not have that problem. I love birthdays, and I can’t wait to get the celebration going!
I thought it would be fun to tell you all about one of my favorite family traditions. We’re not just a birthday celebration family. We love celebrating any kind of special occasion, and Christmas is the big show. I’ve already mentioned how much I love Christmas, and I can state without hesitation that I come by it honestly. Obviously, we’re also a family that loves to travel, and, many years ago, my mother started combining the two loves.
For as long as I can remember, my mom has bought Christmas ornaments on all of our vacations. The ornament always represents the places we’ve traveled, and she usually tries to make sure the ornament has the name of the place and the year. As we’ve gotten older, Caite and I have adopted this tradition, and I now have ornaments representing a myriad of different places. My mom, Caite, and I have even taken to bringing each other ornament souvenirs from trips the others didn’t get to take. I think this is an awesome way to remember all the wonderful memories we have from our travels. I told John the other night if we keep on traveling like we do, we’re going to have to get another tree 
.
So today I’d like to show you a few of the ornaments that we’ve collected over the years. I hope you enjoy this view of the world from my Christmas tree!
Caite and I got this ornament on a ski trip to Crested Butte, CO. I’ve been to Crested Butte several times, and it’s one of my favorite places to ski.
My mom brought this one back from her first trip to Canada. She and my step-dad went to Seattle and British Columbia a few years ago to celebrate his 50th birthday.
When we went to Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks two years ago, we also stopped in at the Grand Canyon. Leading up to the Grand Canyon stop, I wasn’t really expecting too much. Let me tell you, I was blown away. I was not at all prepared for how spectacular it was. It truly is a wonder.
My aunt, Tace, and Caite took a trip to Ireland, and brought this one back for me. My aunt is very interested in our family roots in Ireland, and the trip was a dream come true for her.
John and I took our first ski trip as a married couple to Vail, CO. It’s the only time I’ve ever been there, and I can’t wait to go back.
This is one of the ornaments I brought back from our Glacier trip. We got this one because of our moose sighting!
Caite brought this one to me from her honeymoon to Antigua last summer.
Last, but not least, this is the second ornament I brought back from Glacier. One of the things I didn’t get to mention when I did my Glacier post was the presence of pit toilets in the back country campsites. The park puts these in as another way to deter human impact, and, frankly, I wish I could’ve just gone on the ground. By the end of our trip, we were so tired of these pit toilets, and the whole experience ended up being a huge joke. When I spotted this ornament a few days after we came off the trail, I knew I had to get it. Hey, even unpleasant experiences become memories!
I hope you guys are all having a great week, and have some awesome things planned for the weekend. Have a great evening!
Does anyone else collect ornaments? What kind?
each year my mom buys us an ornament, she has been doing this since we were born so that when we have our own house and tree we will already have at least 25 ornaments. I just love the idea behind ornaments, so many memories.
We do the same thing, so I obviously love this post!
Whenever we travel somewhere–Florida, Maine, you name it–we always look at ornaments and usually buy one. It’s a great way to remember our trips and how much fun we have together. I will definitely keep this tradition alive, too!
Yay! I’m so glad someone else does this. I think it’s awesome, and it makes putting the tree together every year that much more fun!
This is such a cool idea (I LOVE the bear bottoms one). Happy pre-birthday! I hope you have a lovely celebration weekend with your family!
Thanks, Amy! I love that ornament too. It was such a huge part of our trip!
This is such a cute idea!! And what a fabulous way to bring back all the fabulous memories.
The pit toilet ornament (we call them “biffies” .. haha. Not sure why. Your name makes more sense!) reminds me of a cute outhouse figure our cottage neighbours have. She’s from Newfoundland and so her boyfriend got her a “Newfie Two-Seater” with two pit seats set up like bunkbeds. haha. Gives a whole new meaning to fighting for the top bunk!
Really cute ornament collection! Then you get another way to remember all your fun trips!
Thank you! I love collecting these, and it’s always my mission when we’re on any trip
I buy an ornament every year, I love the idea of vacation ornaments! Fun!!!
It really is. It’s such a great way to remember all your trips, and it makes unpacking your ornaments each year a lot of fun!
I absolutely LOVE this idea. What a fun Christmas tree
I really wish I would’ve started this tradition while my husband and I were on our honeymoon this past summer (we did a 3 week trip around the U.S.) I would’ve had a nice little collection to get my tree started!
Oh wow! First of all, that sounds like an amazing honeymoon! It would’ve made a great collection, but it’s never too late to start
Have a great weekend of celebrating!
I love your ornaments! I have a ‘fancy’ tree that’s all matchy. Then we have a smaller travel tree with ornaments we’ve collected from places we’ve been. I love it! I think my faves are from Cannon Beach and Sydney.
Thank you! I put up two trees this year as well. We are definitely going to end up with more than that with all the traveling we do!
Those moose are fantastic! And the “bear bottoms” one is hilarious haha. I’ve always wanted to start a collection of some kind, and Christmas ornaments seems like the perfect way to go!
They’re my favorite things to collect. The bear bottoms ornament is definitely funny…the actual experience, not so much
Aren’t Christmas ornaments fun? We also collect them as a family. Each year everyone in the family gets an ornament that relates to the year they have had. Like when my daughter started playing the flute, I got her a flute ornament. This year she got a puppy for her birthday, so she’s getting a puppy ornament. I frequently give my husband ornaments that I secretly purchase on vacation. I really enjoyed seeing yours and reading about where you got them. I think I might have to steal this idea for my blog. First I need to get my ornaments on the tree…I’m a little behind! :0
That’s so wonderful! I like the idea of getting one that represents the year. It will be a great way for your kids to look back on everything. No worries on being behindd-I still need to finish up my tree! And feel free to steal the idea….let’s spread the Christmas spirit around!