Who Is The Grown Up?: My Favorite Christmas Ornaments

My friend's tree always looks perfect with white lights and matching ornaments that her mother spends the whole day on. Our tree, however, looks nothing like that with assorted ornaments, colorful lights, and silver tinsel that goes everywhere. Throughout the year we collect ornaments from places we go on vacation or family trip/outing.

My mom decorates the top of the mantel with a nativity set that she's had forever.

I thought I'd share some of my favorite ornaments on our tree:

This is one of three sea horses we got during a trip to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. The sea horse is my all-time favorite.

The blue star in the background is also one of my favorites. I like it because it is glittery. :)

This one was one my mom brought back from her trip to Hungary earlier this year. The wife at one of the farms she visited makes these to sell. She weaves them out of straw. This is one of the traditional art forms for the Hungarians.

I have no idea where this came from, but the pig is adorable and it flies. Mom says it came from one of her college friends, so it's really old.

We seem to like going to aquariums (although we haven't been to one in a long time). This one came from a trip to the Newport Aquarium near Cincinnati. It's a colored glass fish.

The ballerina came from our trip to the Biltmore Mansion. I was in kindergarten and wanted to be a ballerina when I grew up.

The cow is one I made from a little statue. I show Jersey heifers and wanted an ornament, but couldn't find one that looked like a Jersey. I put a wreath around its neck to make it look Christmasy.

The red gift with the dog head sticking out is my dad's. We got it the year we got Buttercup, our yellow Lab, just a couple weeks before Christmas.
The silver glass pinecone is a set that my mom and dad bought their first Christmas together.

This pretty glass ball with the little bumps on it is just really pretty. My grandma gave it to my mom one year.