Our family has always collected ornaments for the Christmas tree as souvenirs of the places that we have traveled to. Each year decorating the tree is an opportunity to reminisce about the places that we have visited.
Christmas has always been my favourite holiday so when my husband and I first started traveling together it seemed quite natural to start collecting ornaments for our tree from each place that we visited.
We have continued this tradition for about 18 years now and our children have become enthusiastic Christmas ornament shoppers. Sometimes finding an ornament can be quite difficult and we improvise with key chains or anything that we can find that represents the area and can have a string attached to it so that it can be hung from a branch.
Here are a few of my favourite ornaments from our travels.
A pair of porcelain Irish leprechauns purchased on a trip to Ireland before we had any kids.
A Faberge style Santa egg that we bought in St. Petersburg, Russia while on a Baltic cruise.
In the Bahamas we found this sand dollar painted with a vacationing Santa.
A ukelele-playing Hawaiian Santa wishing everyone a Mele Kalikimaka brings some tropical cheer to the tree.
In Tallinn we purchased a bell with a handpainted picture of Estonian folk dancers.
We were having difficulty finding a Christmas ornament in Stockholm so we bought a small Pippi Longstocking doll at Junibacken and a string through her hair transformed her into an ornament for the tree.
Anne of Green Gables has featured prominently in our trips to Prince Edward Island so we had to bring her home as a decoration for the Christmas tree.
In Oslo we found a glass ball featuring the Trolls of Norway.
It’s impossible to come home from New York City without a “Big Apple” souvenir – this beaded one now hangs on our tree every Christmas.
Our daughters loved the cabs in London so this black cab was a natural choice as our ornament souvenir.
We found a street market while visiting Gdansk, Poland and purchased this beautiful hand-painted wooden angel.
This past summer while traveling in Greece and Turkey we saw countless Evil Eye souvenirs and our younger daughter insisted that we buy this key chain to use as an ornament. We can now rest assured that our Christmas tree is protected from the evil eye.
Decorating the Christmas tree each year has now become an opportunity to reminisce about where we have traveled and dream about where we would like to go next.
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Steve
How about a picture of the entire tree? I’m imagining that it’s got to be getting pretty full by now. 18 years of traveling has to have produced a whole lot of ornaments!
Love the black cab ornament, and the Bahamas Santa is fantastic. Nothing like staring at the tree and remembering holidays in warmer places!
Lisa Wood
That is such a great idea – never thought about adding souvenirs to a xmas tree from places that were visited! Love it 😉
My favorite would have to be the Pippi Doll – that is gorgeous!
Cheers
Lisa
Stuart
What a great and simple idea. A kind of review of years gone by each time you put up the tree. Or take it down. How do you manage to find Xmas decs whereever you go? I never see them! Must be in the wrong places.
Green Mountain National
Got to love this Christmas decors. So cute! 😀
Lisa Goodmurphy
@Steve – Tried to get a shot of the whole tree but I’m not a great photographer and the sun was shining in the window behind the tree – just wasn’t working.
@Lisa – Pippi’s my favourite too – just because she’s Pippi!
@Stuart – Once you start looking, you see them everywhere – tourist shops, museums, street markets. Plus I’ve developed a very good eye for noticing something that could be hung from a string.
walkingon travels
I love this! I keep thinking about trying to find an ornament each place we go, but I always get sidetracked, but really, it’s the perfect souvenir! Even better is your ornament alternative when a official one can’t be found. Stringing dolls and keychains is a great idea. I never thought o f it! Thanks for the tip.
Claire
What a great idea and a fantastic way to remember your trips!!
Lisa Goodmurphy
Thanks, Claire!
Sarah V.
What a great idea to use a keychain as a Christmas ornament! I never would have thought of that. Love your beautiful ornaments…I’m sure they’re full of lots of great memories for you.
Mary @ The World Is A Book
What a great way to remember your travels! Love all the ornaments but my favorites are the Bahamian sand dollar and the Estonian bell. My magnets are getting too much on the refrigerator. I may need to figure out how to make them into ornaments =)
Jessica
What a great collection! I love the NYC apple!
Johnnyandnanette
I’m glad I stumbled upon your post. I also collected Christmas ornaments from my travels. In fact, that’s usually the only souvenir I buy when I’m on a trip. Your pictures are awesome, and it looks like you have visited so many places around the world.
Lisa Goodmurphy
Thanks Johnny and Nanette! Christmas ornaments are just so much fun to collect, aren’t they?
Spencer
We have a nice collection of Christmas ornaments we have got on our travels. Brings back happy memories.
mivvy
You bougt some lovely Christmas decorations. I especially like the London cab. Did you know that you can shop for Christmas decorations all year in Amsterdam? The Christmas Palace, opposite the floating flower market brims with anything Christmassy.
Sophie
What an excellent idea. Why haven’t I thought of that? I do have some Christmas ornaments from when I lived in the USA, though – some cool eskimoes – must have had them for 20 years or more.
Camels & Chocolate
My mom has done this since I was a kid, and I’m always thinking I’m going to borrow her idea, but then I get so overwhelmed “collecting” things and the thought of not finding one in a country I’m visiting and then the OCD in me tells myself it’s not a good idea for me =)
Lisa Goodmurphy
To tell the truth it is a bit of an obsession for me now and it would drive me crazy not to find an ornament in a country that we were visiting. The only times we have had difficulty is on cruises that are only in port for a day but since I have settled for hanging key chains or other trinkets on the tree we usually manage to find something.
Kymri
What a great collection! I love your leprechauns 🙂 I’ve been doing the same thing over the years, I totally understand the obsession! Last year I posted my global collection here: http://www.miraterratravel.com/2010/12/around-tree-and-around-world.html.
Lisa Goodmurphy
@Kymri – thanks for sharing the link to your ornament collection. Your global ornaments are beautiful!
Cheryl
Hi there! Stumbled on your blog and love it. This is a fantastic idea that I NEED to pin. Pre-kids I used to collect shot glasses, then transitioned to ornaments with my two young tots. I’ve made a point to collect an ornament everywhere we’ve traveled to. Makes me look forward to Christmastime!
Lisa Goodmurphy
Welcome, Cheryl! I think ornaments make a great travel souvenir for the same reason. It takes us a long time to decorate the tree but it’s fun to relive our travel memories.