When my kids were REALLY young, my mom made gifts for all of us
She painstakingly hand made ornaments for each of her children and all of their children
Each year we got something different

At the time, we, the "grown-ups" thought it was dorky
The kids liked the small, colorful, usually glittery & sequine-covered ornaments

We, the 'grown ups', snickered at the ornaments and said we'd put them on the tree the year we got them but would hide or get rid of them before the next Christmas
We only wanted the "cool" glassy highly polished fancy store-bought ornaments on our trees

But the kids were smarter than the "grown ups" . . . and every year they found them
And every year we'd roll our eyes as the hand made dorky stuff found it's way on to the tree
We "grown ups" would try to migrate the dorky stuff to the back of the tree

*sigh*. . but NOW the hand made things hold places of honor on the tree
They are the first ones placed, the rest are arranged around them
The highly polished glassy stuff has found it's way to the back of the tree

I treasure these dorky things now
They were hand made by MY mother . . the LOVE shines thru

I miss her very much, especially when I place these ornaments, one by one, on my tree