Our Favorite Ornaments

For this post I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite Christmas Ornaments with you. I'm going to show you 2 of my favorite ornaments and then some of Shawn's that he enjoyed over the years. There are also 3 special ornaments that I will be adding to our tree this year as well. Every year our entire family goes to a store called Bronner's. It is the world's largest Christmas store. I'm not even lying, the place is huge and they have every ornament that one could even imagine. Visit their website if you are interested in what they have. The store really is amazing! http://www.bronners.com/ During our yearly outing each family member picks out and ornament that they want for the tree for that year. Sometimes there is meaning behind them and sometimes we get one just because we like it. Each ornament is then taken home and the date and the initial of the person is placed on the ornament. Our trip to Bronner's for this year is happening tomorrow night. It will be the first time in 12 years I've gone with out Shawn, I'm really sad about going without him, but I know it is on the list of 'firsts' that I unfortunately have to do. Looking at this winter princess now I realize that she is really kind of scary looking. However this has always been one of my favorite Christmas ornaments and I always place her on the front of the tree so I can look at her.

This is my second favorite ornament of mine on the tree. The date has now rubbed off, but I'm guessing it was probably one of the first ornaments I got for the tree when I was a baby. The teddy bear is still fuzzy, although the fuzz is starting to wear off. Now onto Shawn's collection...

As many of you can imagine Shawn always had a special theme to his ornaments. Any guesses? Football. These were two of his favorite Football Playin Santas. The colors of the last two schools we were at were red and white, so these are extra special to me.

I've told you in the past about our love for Charlie Brown and Snoopy. This is a Santa Snoopy that Shawn picked out a few years ago.

I'm not sure why I really like this one, but I just do. What more can a girl ask for a graham cracker, chocolate, a big snugly snowman and football. I like this one because I remember Shawn laughing when he found it in the store.

A football playing moose. Shawn and I had several moose related themes in our house, so this one just kind of fit it. I love the expression on the face of the moose.

Shawn loved this bulb. Shawn always said what a rush coaching and playing football gave him. This was the perfect ornament for him.

Each member of the family has an ornament with our name on it. The first year Shawn went with us, they didn't have a bulb with his name on it. So instead he picked out the bulb he wanted and my mom painted his name on. So Shawn has a specialty made ornament on the tree. This year this ornament is right on the front of the tree so we all can see it.

You guessed it a UofM football snowman. This was the ornament that Shawn picked out last year, the last ornament that he got from Bronner's that will always be part of either my tree or the family tree. The next few pictures are special ornaments that I will be adding to the tree this year. These are ornaments that will be used to honor Shawn and his memory, not only for me, but for my family as well. (to see the detail in these ornaments, you can click on them to make them bigger on your screen)

This is a crystal angel that a funeral home sent me. It has Shawn's full name, his birth date and the date he died engraved on it. I will hang it on the tree and then place it in my room after Christmas is over.

I found this ornament in Hallmark a few weeks ago. The saying "Peace and love in every memory" is written above the Dove's wing. This will be placed on the tree every year as another way to remember Shawn.

This is the ornament that got me teary in the store when I saw it. I saw it sitting on the shelf and instantly got a huge lump in my throat and tears came immediately to me eyes. Yup...the UofM football helmet! Shawn had always wanted a UofM football helmet ornament. ALWAYS!! We could never ever find one, not even at Bronner's. When my friend Megan was here we were shopping and I found it, there was only one sitting on the shelf. One just for Shawn! At first I didn't want to get it, I wasn't sure if I wanted it on the tree or not. However, after thinking about it that night I decided to go back the next day and get it. Shawn would have wanted it and I wanted to make him happy by getting it for him. The ornament is now sitting on my dresser in my bedroom. I know Shawn is so happy that I finally found the ornament for him. I will put it on the tree on Christmas Eve and take it back off the day after Christmas and then will place it back on my dresser with the rest of his football items.

Well that is it a few pictures of some of my favorite Christmas ornaments of ours. I hope you enjoyed looking at them. This year I didn't help decorate the tree, I didn't want to, I just couldn't do it. I couldn't stand to take Shawn's ornaments out of the box and place them onto the tree with out him being in the room with us. So my mom and sister put the ornaments on while I was in Youngstown. A majority of Shawn's ornaments are at the front of the tree. I like them there, they can be easily seen while walking past the tree.

Christmas will be here in just one day. I'm usually so excited for Christmas Eve and for Christmas Day. This year I'm not excited. I just want it to hurry up and come so it can be over for this year. I'm dreading going to sleep on Christmas Eve with out Shawn next to me. I'm dreading waking up on Christmas morning without him kissing me on my cheek at saying "Merry Christmas Angel" to me. I know I will be fine, and I know Shawn will be with me, but it won't be the same and that makes me really sad. Shawn loved Christmas so much, he loved being with me and our families. This year I'm going to be with our families without Shawn and that just doesn't seem right to me and it doesn't seem fair. There will be a big empty void this year at Christmas. I will get through it like I have gotten through he last four months, with my family and friends. I will get through the day with the strength that Shawn gave me and I will try my best to make the best out of a very sad day. I suspect this is going to be one of my 'good days with bad moments'.