Have you started a collection for you DC? Spin off of Dept 56 Village..

[overcome]

Some ppl in Susan't thread about Dept. 56 Villages had some nice ideas about other holiday collections to start for DC.

My mom gave me a piece of a nativity set every year until I had the whole set. I would do this for DD, but she will get mine eventually.

My husband collects Wallace Silversmith Christmas bell ornaments (has since the 70s)so she will eventually get that too.

I'm thinking maybe her own ornament collection (lenox or something similar), but I'm not sure....

What do you do?

[c914]

MIL gives each of the 9 grandkids an ornament every year. She picks a "theme" for each child to extend throughout the collection. DS theme is "birds" another child has "angels" and another "cartoon characters" for example. She admitted its been harder and harder to come up with different themes the more grandkids that come along.

growing up my mom bought Hallmark series ornaments for both my brother and I, I have a series of nativity scenes, brother has international Christmas scenes.

c914

[C99]

Not really. I make personalized/annualized ornaments for the kids in our playgroup every year, so I suppose that is one because my kids have one for each year too.

[phirey]

I started buying Swarovski annual stars for DD#1 quite by accident her first Xmas -- they were on clearance on Dec. 24...

Last year I asked the same question here, I think, and someone suggested Reed and Barton crosses. I looked into them and liked them so I started that for DD#2.

I've been buying them from www.thurbersofrichmond.com. They seem to be the cheapest and they have a HUGE selection of just about every annual ornament you can think of. Every summer we get a flyer from them with a preseason discount. (15% off, I think?)

[boys2enough]

MIL gives us one piece from the very nice Lenox Nativity Set every year too. She did tell me that she refuses to get the Ox though since it's kind of odd looking. LOL. We really appreciate that set very much and are now wondering what we should do in terms of making it a family heirloom: we have 2 boys. I told DH that the nicest DIL of ours will get the set. :)

MIL also purchased the whole set of Precious Moment ornaments for DS1 and then gave one to him every year. The set was meant to be given out from Age 1 to Age 7. Each figurine has a number on prominent display, i.e. 1 through 7. (Am I making any sense?) She couldn't find the same set any more when DS2 was born, so she purchased the "age" set from Hallmark. Not as cute, IMO.

DH collects the State Quarter silver proof sets. We ended up getting my BIL one set of those each year too. Again, we are at a loss on which boys to pass DH's coin collection onto. LOL.


Cheers, Lin

http://smilies.vidahost.com/kao/otn/pnkypanda.gif

[o_mom]

We have ornaments for the kids. Sadly I would have to get them out to tell you exactly what they are. I know they each have a Waterford "1st Christmas" and a Lennox one too. Ds1 has the Hallmark puppy ones that "grow" with the child. I'm not sure if I got this for Ds2 or not. Then I have one from my parents each year and one from us each year as well as any that they receive as gifts.

Does Brio or count as a collection? ;-)

[KBecks]

I'm not doing anything for the boys. DH's mom gave him Hallmark ornaments every year and now they are ours and.... I hate them. But I have to put them on the tree every year.

It's not the end of the world, but because of this experience I'm not very enthusiastic about collections for kids.

[jvorhis]

My MIL buys something for Emma every year. It is always something different. Someday when she moves out or gets married she will get it all. I think it's a neat idea. She also has a ton of dept 56 houses so I am sure she will end up with them too.

[jayali]

DS gets two Hess trucks every year. One to play with and one to put away for when he has kids. My mom used to buy them for my brothers and nephews, so now I keep up the tradition.

I have an Aunt that always buys us a Waterford ornament - one for our anniversary (in November) and one for Christmas. We now have about 30 of them and I love them. Since we only have one child they will be his someday so we will continue the tradition when my aunt no longer can. I love our sparkly tree!

[holliam]

DH and I have always exchanged ornaments. We average about 3 ornaments a year each. I give him a globe (like the planet) and a penguin ornament plus something that reflects the past year. He gives me holly, wizards, or cats, etc. For DD, her theme is snowflakes and then I am getting her a couple to reflect the year.

Otherwise, no collections. My mother was a collection 'ho, and I do not want to repeat that insanity!

Holli

[MelissaTC]

I have gotten Matthew a Hallmark one every year but this was the final one in the series (baby's first, second, you get the idea). He loves them because together, they make a train. I will have to figure out something new for next year!!! We also collect Disney ornaments but I am not sure I will pass those along until I am unable to hang them on my own tree, meaning I will be long gone. ;)

[elephantmeg]

DH's parents got them an ornament every year with something they did or were, and those are our favorite ornaments!