Welcome to Volume 17 of Clutter Tales, a series where we tell the stories of our lives through our clutter. Blogmas is winding down for this year and I couldn’t let it go by without a Christmas Clutter Tale. Today, I’m taking a look at some of the homemade ornaments on our Christmas tree that hold a special place in my heart, although many people would dismiss them as clutter.  

If you’re here looking for tips on dealing with your own Christmas clutter, you might find these posts helpful.

• Decluttering Challenge – Week 49 – Christmas Decorations
• 10 ways to enjoy a simpler, clutter-free Christmas

A tree trimmed with love

If you’re a fan of Christmas trees that could grace the pages of Better Homes and Gardens, then don’t come to our house. You know the kind of trees I mean—they’re beautifully decorated with matching, colour-coordinated ornaments. That look might work in your house or on the pages of a magazine, but it’s not for me. Let me tell you why I love my cluttered Christmas tree!

Every single mismatched decoration on my tree has a special place in my heart. Some of them bring back cherished memories of our family vacations, but the ones that mean the most are the one-of-a-kind ornaments made lovingly just for us by someone special.

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. These ornaments may not be beautiful to you, but just looking at them warms my heart with thoughts of the person who took the time to make the ornament.

Let’s have a closer look at some of these precious gems on our Christmas tree…

When they were small, my daughters loved to buy craft kits at Michael’s and make Christmas ornaments for friends and family. In 2007, when they were age 7 and 4, they made these foam snowflakes—one for each member of our family. I’m not sure if any of the other recipients still have them on their tree, but they will always have a place on ours.

My daughter Colleen is an avid crafter, and she also loves to do jigsaw puzzles. There’s nothing worse for her than when she gets to the end of a puzzle only to find there are pieces missing. A few years ago, she made good use of a puzzle that was missing some pieces by making these ornaments with her Aunt Christine.

I miss the days when my girls would bring home their artwork from school. My daughter Laura made this gingerbread ornament for us when she was in grade one. I love that it has her picture.

Here are some more of Colleen’s creations—these are from recent years. A couple of years ago, Colleen decided to make ornaments for her co-workers at McDonald’s. One year, she made them Christmas sweater ornaments with the McDonald’s logo on them. She made sweaters for us, too—albeit without the golden arches. The next year, she made the McDonald’s fry box ornaments. So cute!

Does anyone remember Perler Beads? They were little plastic beads that you arranged on a peg board and then fused them together with an iron. When Colleen was little, she made hundreds of creations with those tiny beads. One year, she made ornaments like this angel for everyone in our family. This angel is another of the beloved ornaments on our tree.

Years ago, my sister-in-law Jane decorated our gifts with these felt stockings. They’ve had a special place on our Christmas tree ever since.  

Finally, this is the oldest ornament on the list—it’s 25 years old this year. My sister Lorraine made it for me in 1996. As someone who loves to sing, I always associate Christmas with music. That’s what make this beautiful, hand-painted Angel so special—she’s holding a music book and singing Christmas carols.

Let’s keep in touch! Join my mailing list and I’ll email you when I add a new post.

Although some might call them clutter, these precious handmade decorations will always have a place on my Christmas tree. There’s no better feeling than knowing someone made something just for you!   

I hope you enjoyed this special Christmas installment of Clutter Tales. If you’d like to write a guest post for Clutter Tales, please get in touch. I’d love to give you the opportunity to properly thank your clutter by sharing its story too!

Do you have any handmade Christmas ornaments that make you think of someone special? Tell us about them below.