On Twelfth Night, the feast of Epiphany, Christmas decorations are traditionally taken down and put away for another year. We have our own family tradition that wherever we go in the world, we try to bring back a decoration to hang on our tree.
To me these Christmas baubles contain travelling memories, brought out to remind us of the places we’ve visited over the years.
Here are some of my favourites;
The decorations above are from my husband’s visit to Texas on a military exchange with the Texas National Guard. He loves the US, especially Texas and his trip inspired subsequent holidays to Texas and Alabama.
The top one represents the bluebonnet which is the state flower of Texas, and I shouldn’t need to explain the cowboy and cowgirl – Yeeha!
Closer to home, the decoration above from the Buckingham Palace Gift shop, brings back memories of the Garden party I attended with my husband one summer. I returned a month later with my son to do the guided tour of the palace, which is only open to the public for two months in the summer.
And that goggle eye cat caught my eye on a stall at the Christmas Market by the South Bank this year.
The decorations above are from my trip to Ecuador, when I spent my last day in Quito doing the rounds of the gift shops in Mariscal Sucre to do all my Christmas shopping, including the dough lady in traditional costume and the hollowed out egg with the nativity scene.
The sequin decorations above were bought from a lady from the Philippines at a craft fair, who was sewing on all the sequins laboriously by hand.
Back in Europe our fat Christmas tree fairy above always makes me smile – I think she’s had too much Christmas pudding over the years, but she looks very jolly. My husband bought her back from Germany.
And the Pere Noel above came from Paris – he wears his tricoleur with pride.
The glass bon-bons above are from Murano in Venice, where we camped on the mainland one summer and took day trips in to Venice. I dragged my family round in the burning heat, so that I could buy a coloured glass chandelier. We were all wilting by the end.
But we wrapped up warm when we went to Stockholm for a city break one year and brought back these painted wooden decorations. As I recall they were from the gift shop outside the Skansen Open air museum, where we had a nice lunch of Swedish meatballs with dill.
So now my Christmas decorations will be tucked away for another year, but hopefully to be joined next Christmas with some new ones from all the places we visit next year.
Read Next
Join me for a traditional English Christmas dinner
More articles to read at Christmas
Heidelberg Christmas Markets – 9 German Christmas Traditions we enjoyed
Exploring the Christmas markets of Gothenburg
Visiting the Munich Christmas Markets – podcast
This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com
Never miss an update! – Subscribe to receive our latest articles and newsletter
15 Hungary holiday - Budapest and Lake Balaton - podcast | Heather on her travels
Friday 4th of March 2011
[...] and bought a few souvenirs on the upper floor, such as painted eggs which we planned to use as Christmas decorations. We tried some snacks from the food stalls that were also on the upper floor of the market and [...]
Where Heather travelled in 2010 | Heather on her travels
Wednesday 16th of February 2011
[...] in December and spent the time getting into the Christmas spirit, buying presents, hanging the Christmas decorations from around the world, and generally preparing for our typically British festivities with turkey and all the trimmings. I [...]
Join me for a traditional English Christmas dinner | Heather on her travels
Wednesday 29th of December 2010
[...] very Happy Christmas from Heather on her travels Christmas decorations from around the world A terribly British [...]
Christmas wreaths for the festive season | Heather on her travels
Sunday 26th of December 2010
[...] terribly British Christmas Christmas decorations from around the world Father Christmas on a bicycle in Munich #flickr_badge_source_txt {padding:0; font: 11px Arial, [...]
British Christmas traditions | Heather on her travels
Wednesday 15th of December 2010
[...] – usually a refugee from the school where my husband works once term has ended. We have Christmas decorations from around the world that we’ve collected on our travels from the fat German fairy to the gilded soapstone hippo [...]