This is such an exciting post for me to share for many reasons. First and foremost, I absolutely LOVE the holidays….almost as much as I love traveling! Second, this collection has taken years to accumulate, and I’m thrilled now to have so many regions of the world represented, with many more to go! And being highly sentimental, each ornament has a story and brings a memory.
I have posted previously about my favorite souvenirs to collect while traveling. Well, truth be told, I collect more than textiles. I collect ornaments, too. NO WAIT! Before you imagine a tree covered in tacky plastic Eiffel Towers, Pyramids and snowglobes, hang on. One of the reasons I love textiles is that they are made of natural materials and often by hand in the country of origin. I have the same criteria for my ornament purchases, pretty much. I’ll consider anything that is not mass-produced or made of plastic. Ideally, hand-made, hand-painted, ceramic, glass, wood, metal….but most importantly, representative of and made in the country where purchased!
Where to start when you’re covering the world? I’ve decided to break it out by continental regions, and here I’ve created mini slideshows for each one. I hope you enjoy your trip around my tree…and around the world!
AFRICA
(includes ornaments from Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Namibia, and Morocco)
Africa Christmas Ornaments – Images by Kymri Wilt
ASIA
(includes ornaments from Japan, China, Hong Kong, Nepal, Indonesia, Thailand)
Asia Christmas Ornaments – Images by Kymri Wilt
EUROPE
(includes ornaments from Italy, Russia, Spain, Greece, Finland, Hungary, Germany, Czech Republic)
Europe Christmas Ornaments – Images by Kymri Wilt
SOUTH AMERICA
(includes ornaments from Peru, Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil)
South America Christmas Ornaments – Images by Kymri Wilt
CENTRAL AMERICA/MEXICO/CARIBBEAN
(includes ornaments from Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, St. Martin, Netherland Antilles, St. James, USVI)
Mexico/Central America/Caribbean Christmas Ornaments – Images by Kymri Wilt
NORTH AMERICA
(includes Christmas ornaments from Canada and the United States)
North American Christmas Ornaments – Images by Kymri Wilt
I love this. LOVE THIS. My mom always did this when my sister and I were girls, and how I wish I’d done this throughout my 80 or so countries I’ve visited. My husband and I only put up our first tree this year, though, so I wasn’t thinking ahead! But I guess it’s never too late to start?
And I’m with you on the holidays: I can’t get enough of them!
Our family does the same thing and it’s so much fun to relive the travel memories every year when we decorate the tree. And so much fun to see the same nativity set and ornaments we have from Ecuador.
We do this as well. Such a great tradition!
I’m inspired!
Thank you for directing me to this post. You have the most beautiful ornament collection that I have ever seen!
I love the idea of collecting xmas decorations as you travel around the world! What a brilliant idea – never ever thought of that before!
I love the giraffe and the zebra 🙂
Cheers
Lisa