Children can start collecting Christmas Ornaments at an early age. They may come in the form of gifts at birthdays, holidays and special events. They may be received from special people in their lives – parents, grandparents, doting aunts and so on. Children can be taught how to care for delicate ornaments at an early age but of course will require some help from parents for several years.

In hindsight, I wish now that I had purchased fewer ornaments, but better quality for my own child. We typically would make a trip to the local discount store and purchase a few new items each year at Christmas time and I would dutifully mark the date somewhere on the ornaments. Well, needless to say, very few of these ornaments have survived through the years.

One of the first things that is needed, is a specific storage container and place to keep the ornaments. Creating the storage container is in itself a great rainy day project for kids. Review the article on Caring for Collectible Glass Christmas ornaments for proper storage of ornaments. A child’s collection of ornaments needs to be accessible throughout the year rather than stored in a place with the regular Christmas decorations to be dug out of a closet or attic once a year. I’m not suggesting you leave them in their closet where they can be played with, but perhaps placed on a higher shelf or somewhere in your own closet so that small children will require your help in gaining access to the ornaments until they are old enough to manage on their own. Ornaments need to be looked at, touched and held by children as you help them to remember special occasions, or who gave them the ornament etc.

Beach and swim parties are great for children and many fairly inexpensive ornaments are available such as flip flops, sea horses, silver dollars, fish, sand castles to name a few.

Dress Up parties are very in “vogue” for little girls these days. Lipsticks, sunglasses, high heel ornaments are great for these little divas!

Sporting Events: Ornaments for most any sport your child participates in can be found. What a great way to mark the end of a season for your little first baseman. Baseballs, gloves, bats, footballs, soccer ornaments are easily found and fairly inexpensive. This football from Old World Christmas is around $5.00.

Food item ornaments are great occasion markers for birthday parties or just getting together with friends and neighbors. Wiener roasts, ice cream socials as we used to call them are all happy events. Why not make some of them memorable for years to come.

School bus, pencil, schoolhouse ornaments are great items for back to school. A back to school party is a great way for children to get to know each other before school starts.

Special pets can be immortalized by animal ornaments that are very easy to find.

Reading to children is a wonderful way to introduce your child to magical, storybook characters and heroes. And don’t forget the old classics Little Golden Books and Mother Goose. What better way to teach your children about faith and values than to read Bible Stories. A great example would be to read the story of Noah’s Ark and follow that up with a pair of animals or a Noah’s Ark ornament.

Somewhere on most ornaments, you can find a small place to put the date with a permanent marker.

Of course, you don’t have to have a special event to make cherished memories. It could just be a day when you’ve made cookies, had a picnic or just stayed home and watched a movie. Plus, its not exactly like you have a stash of ornaments just waiting to be passed out when a great opportunity arises!

The point is, give the ornament as a remembrance of a special feeling shared between the giver and the receiver.

Browse through our ornaments, I promise, something will catch your eye and make you recall a special time spent with a child that is special to you. That’s the time to get the ornament, and when you give it, say “you know, this giraffe reminds me of the time we went to the Buffalo Park and the giraffe followed you around…..you remember? And the child will grin….and say “yes…I remember.”