Unique Christmas Ornaments Remind Me of My Travels

Do you collect unique Christmas ornaments as you travel?

Christmas ornaments are among my favorite souvenirs. I love Christmas, I love Christmas shops (at any time of the year), and I love to see how each destination reflects their own culture and personality in Christmas ornaments. You'd be amazed how many animals can "become" Santa!

My Christmas tree is a veritable scrapbook - of my whole life (ornaments dating back to my childhood) as well as my travels. There is no rhyme or reason to it, other than it's filled with stuff that I love and that means something to me.

I have ornaments made of fine glass, porcelain, resin, wood, fabric - mass produced or hand-crafted, it doesn't really matter to me. Some are cute and whimsical, some are truly lovely works of art. Every ornament has a story, and those that I've picked up on trips always bring back fond memories.

Here are a few on my tree this year:

This is a cloisonne egg from Hong Kong. You can get cloisonne anything in Hong Kong - I'm not even sure this was intended to be an ornament, but I often find things I like that I can hang on the tree. I like the colors and the shape of this.

Also from Hong Kong, I love these little silk-covered "paper dolls"! Each is unique, from the clothing to the faces. They are delicate, and beautifully made.

The little paper fan is also from Hong Kong.

I picked up a couple of dried starfish in a shop on Hilton Head island, and I attached a wire loop to hang it from the tree. It's a natural thing of beauty, a souvenir, and the star shape is appropriate for Christmas.

I love these blown glass chili peppers from Arizona. I love red in general, especially on a Christmas tree, and the way these sparkle in the lights is lovely. These are hand-made by local artists and are truly unique ornaments.

On a trip to Kentucky, I visited a local craft fair and was so impressed by the fine woodworking I found there. This ornament is a simple example of the beautiful woods and the fine craftmanship of the area.

One of the more whimsical Christmas ornaments, this sea turtle has a Santa hat and jacket - and an adorable face! This is from South Carolina.

From New Orleans, this gator is makin' crawfish gumbo! There's nothing Christmas-y about it, other than it's designed to hang from a tree, but I think it's funny.

From London, this is a simple plastic clay ornament representing the ubiquitous red phone booths that used to be found throughout the city.

I got this in India; I'm not sure this was intended to be a Christmas ornament, but it certainly works. I love the detailed painting on the heart. These are hand-painted, not mass-produced, so each is a unique Christmas ornament.

From Busch Gardens in Tampa, this is a mass-produced resin ornament representing the Budwiser Clydesdales. I love the Clydesdales, and I like the wreath around its neck. There's nothing unusual about it, it's just a souvenir - but I like it anyway.

A hula girl, from Hawaii of course! I gotta have my hula girls! Again, just a resin souvenir and not a unique Christmas ornament, but I love Hawaii and the hula girl is a "must".

So -

Do you collect unique Christmas ornaments on your travels?

If you do, send photos to share!! You can contact me and I'll tell you where to email them. I'll add them to the site for everyone to enjoy!

For more travel stories:

Watching "The Sopranos" in Bangkok

"No Frills Airlines" - Comedy Videos Just for Fun!

A Chinese Custom - Eating the Eye of the Fish!

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