What Christmas decoration has meaning for you?

[Abelard40]

Especially this year.. I’m dying to get mine out but defo a December only girl. Understand the early need this year though!

Mine is my gorgeous Christmas china set left to me by my Nan. Her birthday was 1 December, so out it will come then and I’ll be drinking a cup of tea in fancy style out of her cups then. The set has a ridiculous amount of extras - 8 plates, cups, mugs, bowls, cups.. and all these crazy things like mince pie trays and sweets trays.. just love it though - makes me feel fancy for a month and think of her!

My mum has a tree decoration that my grandpa bought for my dads first Christmas. He was their eldest and born in the immediate post war years and my granny said it was a real symbol of everything positive for them.

It was on their tree every year until they had a house fire (sadly when we lost my lovely gran). They managed to salvage some bits from the loft including this and my grandpa gave it to my dad. He then put it on our tree every year until it got too frail.

My dad died last year and my mum puts it on the mantelpiece instead. It's old and knackered (it is 75 and wasn't expensive in the first place!). It's a little ship with pearl strings as sails.

Mines some little wooden painted Christmas figures (Santa, snowmen, etc) bought from a Poundland type shop 30 years ago. Some are broken, and a few missing but we bought these for our first Christmas together, along with a tiny tree and some gorgeous flower shaped coloured lights.

Mine are from BHS bought 25 years ago for our first tree in our own home. I buy one new special decoration at Christmas each year - something which represents the year.

I also buy a tree decoration from every place we visit on holiday. Lovely reminders of special memories. My tree is definitely not designer inspired but a lovely mixture of memories and mementos.

A baby's first Christmas with a picture of DS1. He was less than a week old by Christmas Day and only 2 or 3 days on the picture.

A glass whale that we bought on our honeymoon after we had been whale watching. It is 21 years old. Also a glass candy cane which was a gift from MIL who is no longer with us.

An ornament that used to belong to my Grandparents. I have had it now for about 40 years and I love putting it on our tree. I used to have the dd's first baubles as well, but now they are grown up they put them on their own trees.

A little plastic glittery dove that clips on the top of the tree. DS “chose” (grabbed) it in Asda when he was a toddler. The dove is called Robin. Actuslly the whole tree is a pretty naff artificial tree with fibre lighting that toggles through 3 or 4 colours. I hate it, but the dc love it, and won’t hear of anything else.

An elf made for my son by a friend of my DM. Her husband died from a pretty awful disease and the elf is named after him, embroidered on his back. One of a kind.

My dad would have been a hundred years old this December, but he died at sixty. He was a jazz trombonist so I looked online to see if there were any Christmas baubles featuring a trombone! To my amazement there were a few, so I now have a pretty china ornament which will be put on our tree, on his birthday.

I have a snowman mug that I've had since I was 7.

I also have a little decoration I bought with DH on our 2nd date.

Oh love these folks! Xx I’ve remembered my parents apple baubles with gold leaves - enjoy them too though they are naff!

I buy a nice bauble each year and also buy one when we go on holidays.

Our tree has all sorts on it relating to things we like and places we've been.

A pewter ornament with DS's birth date on and one with our wedding year on.

A bauble with baby handprints

The Smurf paper Christmas decorations my brother and I made from 'Look In' Magazine circa 1981.

A santa that me and dp bought back from our first holiday

All of them that aren’t the generic Tesco ones. Every time we go on holiday or somewhere new we buy a bauble so we have a tree filled with happy memories.

Just like @SlippersForFlippers, we try to buy some nice decorations each year on holidays. We have a lovely starfish from Hawaii, some handmade lace from The Burren in the West of Ireland, some hand painted salt dough type ones from a church in Rome, some really nice hand-painted glass ones from Penneys/Primark, oh, and some of the more subtle Disney ones, lots of others too. There were a few came from my late MILs stash too. Then we have a few little china ones personalised with the names of family members who have passed.

But my favourite ones are some paper angel tree toppers that my DDs coloured in here years ago along with their friends. I downloaded the angels from the internet, the DDs and friends coloured them in, they really worked hard on their colouring that day and I made some simple wings from little lace paper doilies.

Last year I picked up some white mugs with a holly pattern, my Mum has promised me her china Christmas tea set, I am happy to wait for that, hopefully won't get it for many years yet.

When DS was in reception at a naice prep school, he made an angel for the top of the tree with a laminated photo of his own face on top and gold doily wings.

It was (and still remains) one of the funniest things I've ever seen, and always makes me howl with laughter when it comes out of the box.

He's 16 now by the way

I have a wooden Angel I got the year my Dad died and a hummingbird in pink and blue. I got it to represent the 4 Babies I have lost. One which was on Christmas Day. I plan to buy one each Christmas.

Seem to be having problems posting photos at the moment

DM has a Christmas tree fairy that was her mother’s. It must be 100 years old.

My nanas big balls . I have had them since she died . She lived in a little flat and didn’t bother with a tree . She just hung three big baubles from the ceiling with tinsel . And then had us all tell her that we loved her big balls . Every year they get pride of place hanging from the ceiling . Christmas can start when nanas big balls are out .

I have a little wooden sledge....it has the words on it ....'1999....god made you my daughter...love made you my friend'
Bought by my mum on a visit to the USA in August 1999...2 months later she was diagnosed with terminal cancer...she was 52 and died the following year.

Like other APPs we always buy Christmas baubles if possible whenever we have gone anywhere special. I have some from a wonderful trip to Alaska 11 years ago and I kept all the ones that the children made at school when they were little. I think the ones that make me smile are the ones I remember buying when I was coming home from an NCT class in December feeling extremely Christmassy, pregnant with our first. She's 16 now.

I love decorating our tree, so many memories. It looks ridiculous and is covered in weird non-matching baubles but it's always a very special time when we do the decorating.

By the way I spat my tea out at "Christmas can start when nanas big balls are out"