Christmas Things Around the House

When it’s time to decorate for Christmas, there are some items that have become staples around our house each year. There are standard decorations - trees, wreaths, and the like - but then are also are our things - the items that are a little more unique to our family. 

First there’s Steve the alligator. He’s not exclusive to Christmas, but for some holidays, we like to stick something festive in his mouth - a carrot for Easter, for example. At Christmas time, there are a lot of fun things Steve can chew on.

If you’re wondering why we have an alligator, he’s a souvenir from Scotty’s mission (South Carolina, 2000-2002).

As a side note, the other day, we had a friend come over who had never been to our house before. While arranging the play date, the dad said to me, “I know this is kind of silly, but do you have any taxidermy mounts in your house?” Apparently the child is deathly afraid of them, and she always wants her dad to check before she goes to play at a new house. I assured him that, “No, we don’t… but we do have an alligator I can put in a closet.” He said it would probably be okay (and it was - she never even saw him).

Another item that comes out for Christmas is this toll painted elf countdown that my mom made when I was little.

My mom was really into toll painting in the 80’s. She had a saw and sander and cut out all of her own projects. She made all sorts of things from cookie jar lids to necklaces (yes, wood necklaces) to toys, but not many of them remain today. This is one thing that has survived. 

Another thing that has stuck around since my childhood is a coffee can (that seems to be wearing a sweater... see photo below) full of knickknacks… which I’ll discuss further here in a minute. 

Let’s talk about trolls first. Many years ago, my mom inherited a huge collection of trolls. We were in charge of our extended family Christmas party, so we found a troll to represent each member of our family - grandparents, aunts, cousins, and the whole lot! Then we played a guessing game where everyone had to guess which troll represented which person. 

The other day my mom brought over a bag of Christmas stuff she was getting rid of, and there were three Christmas trolls from the collection in there, so they are strategically placed around my house now (see Steve above). 

Troll, candle, and coffee can

Next to the troll is a candle from Scotty’s childhood that his mom passed on to us. We’re supposed to light it on Christmas Eve.

New to my decor (but a relic from my childhood) is this Coke crate advent calendar. My mom brought it over the other day, and I was so excited. When I was a kid, I loved going through the little knickknacks every year and sorting them, then putting one in the Coke crate every day until Christmas. 

(It originally had a big teddy bear and a bunch of ribbon on it, but it was all falling off, so I removed it and might add some stuff to it another time). 

My favorite knickknack as a child was this little angel caroler. I thought she was so beautiful. 

Yesterday, I went through the coffee can like I did when I was little. It was so much fun to see all the little pieces again! Especially my favorite caroling angel. I wasn't sure if she would have stayed in tact all these years since she is made of ceramic, but she is in fine shape! 

Like many families, we have a collection of sentimental ornaments. We have ones the kids make at school featuring their school photos. We have ones that people have given us (including about five commemorative ornaments from 2020). And we have ones my kids have picked out for themselves each year, which is why the focal point of my basement tree is a stick of butter. 

It sounds like a good idea to let your kids pick out ornaments every year until you end up buying the stupidest things they can find. They’re getting a little better as they get older, though. 

Here’s my ornament for this year:

We have lots of different nativity sets. More than we have space for. This is our “main” one. It gets rearranged daily, so I never know what it’s going to look like. Here’s how it’s positioned currently (courtesy of Eva):

The nativity huddle

We also have a nativity hand puppet set that comes out every year. This is one more relic from my childhood. I don’t remember where they came from but it was either from a FHE group or my aunt. Or maybe my mom made them. I don’t even know! Someone made them, though, and they’ve been a part of my Christmases for many years. 

I’ve used these countless times in primary and at home. The puppets are scattered all over my house for the entire season. In fact, I had to scour the house to find them all for this photo. I think it's a miracle that we've been able to keep track of Baby Jesus as long as we have (despite how the photo looks, he is not attached to the Mary puppet).

Last, but not least, we have Generous George (read about him here). 

Generous George should be moving around the house all season long as my family gives service to each other, and yet, here we are on the second day of December, and he’s already missing. Rumor is he’s in Nicky’s room. We joke that Nicky is no longer part of our family because he’s never here, and well… that’s not entirely inaccurate. Hopefully Generous George reappears soon, but he is traditionally halted each year. 

I may be fussy about some of my holiday decor (my living room tree, throw pillows, and my plates), but I still enjoy some fun and nostalgia. 

(Wait, what's that? You want to see my Christmas plates? Okay! Here they are. Just keep in mind that I have to take a photo in the dark because it's after 3:00 pm right now).