**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.
All of us put the tree together, together. Then we all decorate i get the high part the kids get the lower part.
My grandma would get each grandkid a new Hallmark Christmas ornament every Thanksgiving. Then we would put on the Chipmunk’s Christmas Album and pull out all of those ornaments!
elkmeese (at) yahoo (dot) com
We have a lovely cardboard angel that my oldest niece made for us when she was 5 (she’s now 15!) I bought a “proper” tree topper, but my kids just love that angel, so she’s still doing the business up there on top of the tree. Every year, my two DDs fight over who will get up on Dad’s shoulders to put her on top.
My favorite tree trimming memory is when my kids were first old enough to get excited when they looked over all their old ornaments, and remembering why we chose that special ornament for that year. It brings back alot of memories and gets the kids talking and laughing.
purehrt555(AT)yahoo(dot)com
A favorite memory would be our oldest daughters first Christmas. We had to open the gifts for her, and it took forever because Santa (ME) decided to really tape the paper well. Everyone was so irritated because they were all waiting for breakfast…
Count me in! I love the snowman ornament!!!!
My fav memory was when I was a little girl and my Uncle Dan would go out in the woods and pick my Mama and Papa’s tree and we would always spend Christmas day there! It wasn’t always a GREAT tree but it was fun that we did it as a family!!!!!!
I also remember one year right after high school we didn’t have a tree and we almost didn’t get one! My brother and I felt we were told old for it and didn’t want to deal with the mess….boy were we wrong…the day before Christmas we ran down the tree store and bought the best looking tree we had EVER had growing up! It was so huge it almost didn’t fit in the house!!!!! It was a white flock tree….I will never forget that tree…just to think we almost didn’t have one?!?! CRAZY!
Thanks!
Jeannie
musingsfromleftfield[at]yahoo[dot]com
I remember carefully unpacking all of the glass bulbs with my grandma and hearing the stories of who made them or where they came from.
hedwards25 at gmail dot com
Our yearly tree-decorating-tradition is to break at least one glass ornament.
I love snowmen!
bigfamily8(at)yahoo(dot)com
We have a number of ornaments that were hand blown by an old friend of the family. The tree is just not complete until we put on his tree topper.
Since my son was born we always put up the handmade ornaments that I made for him before he was born.
I love trimming the Christmas tree! I’ve got all of the handmade ornaments that my kids have made over the years and they bring back such wonderful memories.
Thanks for the chance to win your great giveaway! I’ve been collecting Hallmark ornaments for years.
proudyaya04(at)yahoo(dot)com
My favorite memory is the time my Mother made my Father cut off a branch from the tree, drill a hole in another section, and put the cut branch in the hole . . . because there was a bare spot, of course! Makes me smile every time I remember how wacky my family really was! 🙂
Okay, we have two trees, one for upstairs for family and guests, and one for the kids. The kids get to decorate their own and they usually like theirs REALLY colorful–different color lights, ornaments, anything, and nothing matches. All of their ornaments from childhood are on this tree, and I LOVE IT!.
The one upstairs is decorated by the whole family and it has “pretties” on it, meaning, everything matches. It usually has white lights.
I would love to win this ornament. It’s cutesy. Thanks.
So cute ? Since my kids were little they would get an ornament, now with them being teenagers, it fills up the tree. I plan on giving them their ornaments when they live on their own.
We always listen to Bing Crosby while decorating the tree.
Each year I buy a Christmas ornament (after x-mas sale) and wrap it up and put in the ornament box for the following year to be opened by my son. I try to find an ornament of something he was into that year (cars, Elmo, etc..) When we put up the tree, he gets to open his new ornament and put it on the tree, along with the past year ornaments. Plus, this way by the time he moves out of the house, he will have a great collection of ornaments to put on his own x-mas tree.
My dad always made eggnog and boiled spices and played Christmas music to make the house festive
jasonncaryn at yahoo dot com
What a precious ornament! Christmas is my FAVORITE holiday. 🙂
We always put up our tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We play Christmas CDs, pop pocorn, and everyone has at least one special ornament that is “their’s” and they hang on the tree. 🙂 (Many are from Hallmark) 🙂
We have the special ones sent from our Aunt in New England that go on as well. The angel goes on last, and the nephew has the privilege of plugging in the lights. 🙂
It’s a lot of fun, and I look forward to it all year. 🙂
My mom’s water broke while she was putting up ornaments on the tree…and I was born, on Dec 14th! We always put the tree up on my birthday after that…no tree trimming stories, though! Thanks!
While trimming the tree we enjoy listening to Christmas music. Then after it is done we have hot cocoa and Christmas cookies and sit and relax and enjoy the Christmas music.
cherierj(at)yahoo(dot)com
We always watch It’s A Wonderful Life while trimming our tree. My kids put “their” ornaments on the bottom, while my collectibles are gently placed higher. We decorate it on Thanksgiving, and do not take it down until Jan 1 because we all love having it up so much! Thanks;)
kpuleski at gmail dot com
My brother made my Mom a Christmas ornament one year when he was little. It was made out of macaroni. She kept it forever and used it every year. Well, I should say she used it until our dog {Doberman} decided to EAT it!!
no really fav moment,but i just love doing it with my hubby&kids. ahdrad2932(at)msn(dot)com
My family has always put our tree up the day after Thanksgiving, and we leave it up until after New Years Eve. Everyone participates!
What a cute ornament! My favorite memories around ornaments or tree-trimming just involves the discussions and exclamations over the ornaments as we unpack them. Though I have all boys, they get sentimental seeing some of the ornaments they made or were given.
That is such a cute ornament. Our tree is a little “lacking” in the ornaments as we’ve only been in our house two Christmases.
Hmm well I am crazy lady with two trees since I went out and bought another tree since I had went out and bought way too many ornaments- then I gave it to Kyra because we prefer our pathetic little Charlie Brown tree. Since I was sick at the time she helped herself to the nicer ornaments and I could really use some cute ones.
My favorite memory/tradition is in picking the tree. We start by loading up the van, we usually go to eat at a small spot and discuss the type of tree we want. When we get to the farm, all that great planning goes right out the door. I want tall and skinny, the kids want the biggest on the lot, the husband wants short and fat….it is fun. Finally we decide on one and load it home. Then the real fun begins. I have one daughter that insists the only way to check the lights is to wrap them around her arms of legs (loosely of course)! My son loves to retell the memories shared of all our ornaments. My youngest gets to toss the tinsel. We save the topper until after the kids are in bed, dh and I say a prayer for those we have lost and light it up. I am queenesperfect at yahoo.com
I don’t really have a favorite memory or tradition of trimming the tree, since I usually do it by myself, but I do love reminiscing over each of the ornaments (many hand-made by me when I was a kid)! Thanks for the giveaway
Every year we decorate the tree as a family at my parents on Thanksgiving night. We take turns telling stories about christmas past. It’s something I look forward to all year.
oh this is so precious. I would love to win this for my grandson who is due in Oct. It would be fun for him to have his first ornament on Grandmas tree this year.
Have a bloggy day
We love to decorate the tree together with our children. Every year I unwrap them from the boxes while dh helps the little ones put them on the tree. Then we take turns blowing icicles up to the top. Thanks and please visit mine, too!
I have some of the ornaments that were originally on my parents 1st Christmas tree together. The ornaments look like little flying saucers and come in all colors. They are over 48 years old now and I still treasure them every year. My parents love to see them on my tree every Christmas.
I collect xmas ornaments and me the kiddos place our special ornaments on the tree very carefully every year.
scrtsbpal (at) yahoo (dot) com
I love having the kids help put on ornaments. We usually have to even them out, after they go to bed. lol They get so excited when we bring home a tree.
My family would alwaays chip together and make a family christmas ornament each year.
My mom would always put up the tree and the lights and I would put up all the ornaments. Every year we add a new ornament to the tree. It still works that way even though I’m all moved out of the house.
We love decorating our tree on the day after Thanksgiving!
Thank you!
art and nature [at] juno *dot* com
When I was growing up we’d always decorate the tree while listening to Christmas music and baking cookies.
My favorite christmas memory was of UN-trimming the tree. I was very pregnant and due new years day. Could not bend over and kept seeing these little dots on the floor. My husband kept saying it was just sap and dust from the tree. X-mas eve rolled around and when we started grabbing presents we discovered they were covered in sap AND tiny bugs. the tree was bug infested! It was from one of those chop down your own tree places and they did not treat the trees for bugs. Needless to say we untrimmed the tree then and there, cleaned and put the ornaments away, steam cleaned the carpets, etc. I went into labor the next day from all the work we did the night before!
That is so cute. One of my favorite memories was when my dad brought home a huge Christmas tree to fit in a room that had a vaulted ceiling. He leaned a ladder against the tree and climbed up to put the angel on top, lost his balance and ended up swinging by the chandelier as we scrambled to get the ladder back under his feet. Oh – the giggles we had once he was safe again lol.
Thanks for the chance to win! 🙂
adashofsassitude(at)gmail.com
I am now thinking of Christmas memories..and now I feel all sentimental lol I loved Christmas growing up.. I have 7 brothers and sisters..and my parents always made it so special for us. We always opened one present on Christmas eve. And of course always set the tree up on Thanksgiving Day!!!
cloudspassby78@yahoo.com
A cool Aunt made us ornaments every year so when we moved out we had enough to really start our own tree, she carried on with the tradition with all the grand nieces and nephews as well, so now my own kids will have a good start as well.
When I was a kid our tradition was to put up all of the Christmas decorations on the day after Thanksgiving… including our lovely fake tree. Now, my husband and I started our tree tradition our first Christmas together and we are continuing it with our children… we go to a local Christmas tree farm, take a while and choose our perfect Christmas tree (or does it choose us?). We tag the tree (and last year we started decorating it with wired ribbon). We go back about a week before Christmas to pick up our tree. Once we get it home, we decorate!
My favorite memory is before we got a traditional tree topper we had this strange Bart Simpson figurine. I think it was an antenna topper. Anyway, my dad would always make a point to put Bart on top of the tree. 🙂
We usually have a busy Christmas season due to performances, etc. So, we are usually excited when we get to the decorating. I used to always do the tree. Now, my kids want to do it all themselves. I let go.
Please include me and thanks for being so generous.
KJ
I love looking at all the handmade children’s ornaments.
fivewinks (at) cox (dot) net
Our famiy tradition is to go and get our tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving. My parents gave us a new ornament each year that corresponded to an event that year and they were always Hallmark ornaments. Even though my mom passed away – my dad has continued this tradition with all of us grown up kids and I plan to continue it with mine! As soon as we got married we were allowed to take all of our ornaments to decorate our own trees with.
I remember the year that the tree fell like 4 times so we ended up having to tie and then nail it to the wall it was lope sided and could not be straightned. we now check the trunk too. lol
bleigh23@yahoo.com
What a beautiful ornament! I love snowmen and I am ready for snow! Be sure to come check out my giveaway
I have lots of Christmas memories…but for an unusual one…we always ate Christmas cookies for breakfast on Christmas morning.