The Maddame Alexander Ornaments
When I was just a little girl, my Mom started a tradition. Every year, we each received a new Hallmark ornament to hang on the tree. She always bought ornaments that fit our personality. The first few years, I got the kitty ornaments, because I loved cats. I got a violin Hallmark ornament one year, and a few other random cute ones, but in high school, my Mom bought me the first ornament in a series. The Maddame Alexander doll ornament. She thought she should keep collecting them for me each year so I could eventually have the entire series. I, of course, thought they were adorable, and my Mom collects dolls, so I am sure she had fun buying them for me. Definitely more fun than the car and truck ornaments she bought for Jared and Trev, or the Star Wars ornaments she bought for Ryan. I think Lance ended up with a number of Garfield ornaments, and for Kevin, they were anything and everything to do with baseball. However, Hallmark is tricky. You don't have any idea how many ornaments there will be in a particular series. There could be just four, or there could be 20+! In the case of Maddame Alexander ornamets, I have yet to see an end. After I was married, my Mom still continued the tradition for a few years, but those babies aren't cheap, so we were eventually left to continue the tradition ourselves. This worked for a while, until one year. I bought the wrong ornament, and by the time I realized my mistake, my ornament was no longer available for that year. After that, I didn't try as hard to keep up with the series. I am probably missing two or three, but I still have a tree full of cute dolls! They remind me of my Mother, the doll collector. The one and only other girl in the home I grew up in. The one and only in my family that I could relate to on a "girly" level. When the boys teased me, she was my advocate. I looked up to her in every way, and assumed that I would someday be just like her. I am still waiting for the impeccable, beautiful handwriting to come. And someday, I am sure I will enjoy shopping more, and I will have a lovely decorated home that will look like it came straight out of Pottery Barn. Okay, so I have come to the realization that I cannot be just like her. Bummer. But, I hope I can be there for my children, the way she always was (and still is) for me. I hope I can show a good example, the way she does. I hope I can commit myself to the Gospel and to my family, and always do my best. Just like my Mom.
those are beautiful. I didn't know they made the dolls in ornaments. I will have to look into them. I like to go into Farrs Jewelry and look at all the dolls. They're so fun.
ReplyDeleteMy mom loves dolls as well. My sister and I are getting her one for Christmas.