**THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. STAY TUNED FOR WINNERS!**
Thanks for coming to visit! I have a fun week of giveaways planned for you, compliments of Hallmark. If you have been here before, you know how Hallmark recognized my hubby, BgK, as an award winning dancer. If you’ve not heard that he was part of a national dance contest, check out his moves and the story of how he won some cash and a great trip!
I’ve got a week’s worth of fabulous, brand new for 2008 Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments to giveaway–a different ornament for each day,
so you’ll have to come back often. After each post goes up, the comments will remain open until Friday at 3pm (or whenever my daughter falls asleep that afternoon).
You may enter once for each ornament, and I’ll give you an extra entry if you mention this giveaway on your own blog. Just let me know in the comments that you’ve done so.
Open to US and Canadians.
Up first, to get everyone in the mood and thinking Christmas thoughts: Trimming the Tree
This is the *first* in a new series, which will feature two bears–one big and one little. It is absolutely darling, and I think it’s a great series to start for a special child in your life.
To win, please enter one comment–telling me a favorite tree trimming memory or family tradition around trimming the tree. You don’t need to have a blog to enter–just make sure your comment contains a valid email address.
To start off the tradition telling: We always listen to the John Denver/Muppets Christmas album (which I picked up on CD back in ’94) when trimming the tree. Completely brings me back to my childhood!
Come back tomorrow–there will be a special ornament that will leave us all inspi(RED).
Updated: Here’s a link to Tuesday’s giveaway, and here’s a link to Wednesday’s. Here’s Thursday’s link. And finally, here’s Friday’s link.
Christmas decorating memory: It used to take forever to put together our tree. Piece by piece we would put the metal hooks (at the end of the branches) into the tree. We ordered pizza and everyone did a section of the room while my brother put the tree together.
A happier memory – the cat running up the tree and knocking it over. The cat was so stunned that he tipped the tree
My favorite tree trimming memory is of my son & daughter adding the tinsel at the very end. I always liked them to add it one piece at a time, but each time I turned my back they were giggling and throwing handfuls at a time. A memory I will treasure forever.
One of our favorite traditions was/is to pick up a new Hallmark ornament each year, so how cool is your contest!!
We have a tradition to set up our tree on November 1! Most people think we are nuts, but we love Christmas and can’t wait to get it started!!!! Then we usually take the tree down the day after Christmas because we are over it by then…
My best friend and I have been giving each other ornaments for as many years as I can remember. I love decorating the tree with all those memories.
I just remember coming home from different places and my grandfather would have the tree up and all decorated as a surprise every year.We always knew it was coming but we would pretend to be surprised. I miss him.
One of our favorite tree-trimming traditions is having each child put up his/her own baby ornament. Fun!
When I was growing up, we would always play Christmas music when trimming the tree and drink hot chocolate afterwards.
Like Kristin commented above, one of our favorite tree trimming traditions is having each child choose a spot and hang up his “My 1st Christmas” ornament.
We haven’t had a Christmas tree in years and I don’t have ANY ornaments. This would be super.
oh cute this would be realy grate for are familys frist chirsmas to getter thanks
First, We always go to our local Christmas tree farm and cut down the “perfect” tree. Then we come home, put on the Christmas music, and drink hot chocolate as we docorate the tree! Fun times!
sblilly14(@)yahoo(.)com
We used to play candy land and whoever won got to put the star on top! We were a very competitive family!
We trip the tree with ornaments, and cloves pierced through oranges and limes. It smells wonderful!
Memory: When I was a kid we would decorate the whole tree, then we had this great wooden train we would set up afterward on the tree skirt. That was always the highlight!
mrsadams84(at)yahoo(dot)com
I remember the way I felt after our childhood tree was up. That is when Christmas would finally begin. I loved to lay under the tree and look up into the branches at all the ornaments and stary lights.
A tradition we have always done is to give the kids a new ornament each year. At first our tree was decorated mostly with my ornaments that my mom gave to me following this same tradition. As time has gone on, and my children have gotten older, more and more of my ornaments remain boxed up, while the kids get to decorate the tree with their own ornaments. Once the kids move away, taking their ornaments with them, my ornaments will be able to see the light of day again.
michelle at northofthe49 dot com
We always played Christmas music while putting up the tree!
palmersf(at)bellsouth(dot)net
My husband and I just got married last year, and the tradition we started is to pick out a new ornament each year that means something to us. (something that we did, or that happened to us that year) We only have had one year so far, but are looking forward to many many more!
My tree trimming memory actually involves ornaments.
When I was younger my mom used to buy me a new ornament each year and have my name engraved, painted or printed on it. I loved getting my special ornament each year and here I am 40 years old and I STILL decorate my tree in my special ornments from my mom (she passed away almost 5 years ago this coming Christmas).
Now we do the same thing for my kids. Each year they both get a special ornament so when they are older and have their own families they will already have a collection of ornaments to take with them.
Kimberly
HunnyV “at” Optonline “dot” net
Our tree goes up every year on Veteran’s Day since we use an artificial one. My daughter and husband decorate it together while they listen to the Veggie Tales Christmas CD and then they have Hot Cocoa when they’re done!
My favorite memory is the kids trying to string the lights and then mom getting exasperated and telling us she would finish it!
I always loved to go to my grandma’s and help her with her tree because she would let me decorate it anyway I wanted to! Some years her tree was far from nice looking, but she still let me do it the next year! Some of the pictures of my tree decorating from when I was 8 0r 9 are hilarious!
My favorite memory ( even though at the time I was exasperated!) was when our tree fell over 5 minutes after we’d spent 2 hours decorating it! It’s funny today, it wasn’t then. Hope I win! cdziuba@aol.com
My kids and I always enjoy putting the tree together as a family tradition. Sounds weird, but we all remember doing it every year!
The tree always leans . . . always!
We always eat pizza on the night we put up the tree. Usually, we put it up the day after Thanksgiving.
each kid in my family had a theme ornament type (mine was bears) and we’d always fight to make sure they got prime positioning. 🙂
andrewandkristan(at)hotmail(dot)com
I love Hallmark ornaments! I don’t have a specific memory, but I do love my daughters putting ornaments on the tree. They have so much fun doing it, makes them feel special. It is fun remembering the reason why we bought certain ornaments, etc. Almost all of those are Hallmark btw.
We always put our tree up Thanksgiving night. We always say we’re gonna wait cause we’re so tired but we always go ahead and put it up. monk5@charter.net
I buy a Snoopy ornament (at least 1) for my husband every year….started the first Christmas we started dating 11 years ago. 🙂
Since you asked, I just have to share the story of trimming our first tree. We were (fairly) newly married and decorating our first tree the day after Thanksgiving. I looked at my husband as we were hanging garland and said, "It's too bad we don't have any Christmas music to play."
He dashes off all excited. I'm impressed my new husband has holiday music to play. He puts in the CD and it is beautiful. Until the lyrics begin and I realize he had turned on Bob & Tom's "It's Christmas, Let's Have Sex!"
My favorite memory is the little music box that hooked up to the tree. The lights would flash with the music.
samsakara@twcny.rr.com
We would string popcorn on a garland or cranberries. My great grandma would enlist my help to steal shoes, jackets, etc. and we would sew bells to them. Then the recipient of the elf bells would go around all day wondering where that &!@# ringing was coming from!
When I was little my mom bought a bunch of Disney ornaments from Grolier (I think that’s the company) and kept all the boxes to them. Every year we’d take them all out and hang them up and at the end of the season we’d have to take them down, but them in the plastic, back into the packaging, then back into the box it was mailed it. I always thought it was a bit excessive, but now I realize I’ll probably be like that too.
Our whole family would decorate the tree and my grandpa would always be the one to put the angel on the top. We either listen to Christmas music or sing Christmas carols.
My mom would wrap the lights around rolled up newpapers. Every year she would get them out and test them. We would be so excited when she brought out the lights because it was the start of the Christmas season!! You are offering an adorable ornament!! Thanks for the opportunity to win!!
That ornament is so cute! Thanks for the giveaway.
In our family we always have an angel at the top of the tree. Never a star or a bow… always an angel. It’s a tradition my mother started when I was about 5.
Us kids would watch my parents string up the lights and then we would hang up the ornaments. We always had certain ones we liked hanging so we would try to hang those first. As we got to the bottom of the box, we all lost interest in the boring ornaments. 😉
This is so darling!
When I was a child I loved it when my parents would put on those “bubble lights”…I thought they were so cool! My other favorite ornament was a halmark ornament from 1979 or 1980 that was a bird house with 2 cartoonish redbirds inside. It had “snow” on the room. My mom always put a white Christmas light in the window so that it looked like the house was illuminated.
onlycancan at hotmail dot com
A favorite family tradition is that every Thanksgiving we make a new Christmas decoration for the tree…and date it. It’s fun each year when we take out the ornaments and remember the previous Thanksgiving together.
dbstout[at]juno[dot]com
My favorite memories is watching my daughte decorate and undecorate the tree! lol With the cat’s help.
the only tree trimming tradition we have is that we sit back and watch the littles decorate! it’s always lopsided but they are so proud!!
We always play and sing Christmas carols while decorating the tree as a child and now with my own kids. Thanks for the chance. I would love to win this one, my tree is always decorated with lots of snowmen.
actsm@hotmail.com
We always had a little embroidered pocket on our tree and Santa would put in two packages of gum – one for me and one for my sister!
Thanks so much for the opportunity.
We always used popcorn strings.
planetmisty at gmail dot com
We hang a special envelope on the tree and put money in it that goes to a charity we decide to donate to. Samaritan’s Purse is one of our favourites!
mybabyappleseed(at)yahoo(dot)ca
Our tradition is to set the tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving. Mommy and Daddy put the lights on the tree, and then the kids help with the ornaments! We put on our favorite Christmas music and when we’re done, we turn all the lights off and just enjoy the lights from the tree.
My favorite tree trimming memory would have to be the firs year my dh and I were together. We went out and got this tree that looked great out in the wild, but when we got home it was more of a bush then a tree. We still joke about the year of the Christmas bush.
We have this beautiful hand made angel that was always the Pinochol of or tree trimming.
cjinhb at msn dot com
This year will start a new tradition, trimming the tree with our little girl. Last year (her first Christmas) she was just too little and young to understand what all was going on (and probably a little overwhelmed). However, this year I have to think that not only will she really get into it, but we will have a hard time keeping her *away* from the tree once it’s up. She is very inquisitive and just can’t seem to help herself! We love to light a fire in the fireplace, make hot cocoa (with marshmallows, of course!) and have Christmas music playing on the cd player. I can’t wait to start new traditions and make new memories with our little gal.