Additions to our Christmas ornament collection from travels in 2013.
During the holiday season each of the last two years, I have shared photos of some of my favourite Christmas tree ornaments that we have collected as souvenirs over our years of family travel. This year I’m sharing the new additions to our collection from our 2013 travels.
With the number of ornaments that we collect each year, I’m starting to worry that I will have to put up a second tree in order to accommodate them all!
We rang in 2013 aboard the Disney Magic on a Caribbean cruise and brought back two mementos from the ship – a Captain Mickey ornament and a glass ball commemorating New Year’s 2013 aboard the Magic. (We also picked up a Cowgirl hat for the tree in Houston, Texas where we spent the night prior to embarking in Galveston. It might be cheating a bit to include it since I technically bought it in 2012 but it’s new to our tree for 2013.)
The two ports-of-call on our cruise were Georgetown, Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico. We had been to the Cayman Islands before and already had an ornament from there but we acquired a very colourful new bauble for the tree while shopping in Cozumel.
During our spring break in March, Katie went to Ecuador but didn’t think to bring back an ornament for the tree. The rest of us went to Las Vegas though and we brought back an ornament from the incredible Cirque de Soleil show that we saw while we were there – The Beatles: Love.
While we were in Vegas, we also road-tripped to the Grand Canyon for a couple of days and found this.
On the day that school wrapped up for the summer holidays, Emma and I headed north to spend two nights at Blue Mountain Resort in Collingwood where we discovered that it is now the perfect four-season getaway for families.
My husband and I have been visiting Stratford, Ontario‘s Shakespeare Festival every summer since 1993 and started attending shows with our daughters there when Katie was 4 years old in 2001. That’s a lot of trips to Stratford so imagine my surprise when I realized that we do not have a Stratford ornament on our tree. We made that right on one of the three trips that we made there this summer.
At the end of the summer we traveled to London, England for 9 days of fun seeing the sights, enjoying the city and attending a few shows in the West End. We also found time for a couple of day trips including one to Stratford-upon-Avon to visit the Shakespeare Houses. The Bard himself now hangs on our tree as a reminder of the day.
This past weekend, Emma and I traveled to Jamaica to spend a couple of nights at Beaches Negril and we brought back this souvenir of our trip – the final ornament to be added to the tree for 2013.
Hopefully 2014 will bring more travel adventures and more ornaments for my collection!!
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Sonja
As you know, we collect travel ornaments too, so I love seeing yours! The cowboy hat is my favorite, and interestingly enough we’ll be traveling to Houston in June so hopefully I can pick one up there!
Adrienne
Great post!! I love looking back at our ornaments this time of year – especially the new ones still in their original packages and waiting to be added to the mix. We drove over 3,000 miles this summer and realized, gasp, we never picked up an ornament from all the places we went! Oh well….
Lisa Goodmurphy
Thanks, Sonja! We were only in Houston for a very short time – staying at the airport before going to Galveston to leave on our cruise. We didn’t have time to do much of anything so we just went to a nearby mall to check it out. Emma wanted a cowgirl hat so badly but we couldn’t find one – she settled for this ornament instead. She insists that she’s going back to Texas to get a hat though! 🙂
Lisa Goodmurphy
Thanks, Adrienne! I think my only travel regrets are the places that I visited and forgot to buy an ornament!! 😉
Keryn @ walking on travels
I seriously wait for this post every year! I love your ornament collection and you have inspired us to start collecting a few of our own and even getting creative when we can’t find an ornament. Thanks to you there are two keychains from Spain on our tree. I never would have thought of that! Love the hat and the Shakespear ornaments. Jamaica santa too! Happy Christmas my friend!
Selena (@SelenaThePlaces)
We also collect ornaments and we have several of the same ones. I love bringing out each ornament and remembering our adventures. Perfect travel souvenir! xoxo
Selena
Michele {Malaysian Meanders}
You’ve added a lot of nice ornaments this year. It must be fun to look over your tree and reminisce. We picked up a few cloisonné ornaments while we were in China.
Johanna
What some interesting ornaments you’ve added, and if you carry on like that next year, Yes, I can see a second tree being necessary! How lovely to remember the places you’ve been though as you watch the Christmas tree in quiet reflective moments as you think about the year that’s been. Great tradition!
Muza-chan
Beautiful… I like it all 🙂
Mary {The World Is A Book}
I look forward to seeing the ornaments you’ve added to your tree too. What a great collection and an original year-in-review post too 🙂 I love the Disney cruise ones for my love of Disney and cruising. But, also loving the Grand Canyon and Shakespeare ones. You inspired me and I actually bought some ornaments the past 2 years and now regret not doing them earlier. I really need to turn those magnets into ornaments 🙂
Ann
Love your new additions. I like to do this, too, but I don’t do it for all of my trips. I think I want to start, though. I’m already regretting that I don’t have one from our trip to Animal Kingdom this year.
And I love hearing that I’m not the only one who will use keychains as ornaments. I had to do that when I went to the Philippines a few years ago. I couldn’t find ornaments and just decided to be ok with it. Then I got home and regretted it, but had a ton of extra keychains I bought as gifts. I put a red ribbon on one and called it done.
Terumi
I love the idea of collecting ornaments! These would definitely be memorable souvenirs. Great idea!
Lisa Goodmurphy
I’m glad that you’re collecting ornaments now too, Keryn – it will become an obsession! 😉
Lisa Goodmurphy
I think it’s the perfect travel souvenir too! I love getting the ornaments out to decorate each year and talking about where we bought them!
Lisa Goodmurphy
Well I had to google “cloisonné”! They must be beautiful – you should post photos!!
Lisa Goodmurphy
Thanks, Johanna – I definitely see a second tree in the not too distant future!
Lisa Goodmurphy
Thank you, Muza-chan!!
Lisa Goodmurphy
I’m glad you’re collecting now too, Mary! We missed getting ornaments in a few destinations early on and now I regret it. You should definitely turn your magnet collection into ornaments!
Lisa Goodmurphy
Key chains make great ornaments! Adding a ribbon gets extra points for creativity – I just hang them using the key fob!! 😉
Lisa Goodmurphy
Time to start, Terumi!! 😉
Tonya {The Traveling Praters}
I’ve often thought of purchasing Christmas ornaments as travel souvenirs and I’ve just never taken that step. Your tree makes me wish that I wouldn’t have procrastinated. I love your ornaments and can only imagine how incredible it is to relive those favorite memories each year as you decorate your tree.
Freya
What a beautiful tree and I think it is a great idea to have Christmas tree ornaments which are travel souvenirs, so many great memories.
Lisa Goodmurphy
My favourite part of putting up the tree is our travel ornaments. It’s so much fun to play the “remember when…” game!
Lisa Goodmurphy
Thank you, Freya! I love looking back at all the places that we have traveled each year – it’s the best travel souvenir for me!
Elaine Gregory
Hello!. I was thrilled to see my ornament in your collection from Jamaica. Began making ornaments 35 years ago for travel memories..supply US and Caribbean. If you are missing a destination ornament, would love to help out….elaine@hearthsidechristmas.com
Lisa Goodmurphy
Hi Elaine – what a small world!! What are the chances that the internet would actually connect me with someone who made one of my beloved Christmas ornaments?!? I will definitely keep you in mind if I need to add to my collection – thanks!!