Keepsake Ornaments, originally uploaded by cheryl.
A simple little tradition we started years ago. Every year, we pick up a Keepsake ornament for the boys, one that represents a little piece of who they are that year (or attempts to anyway).
For Connor, I considered two characters that he absolutely loves - Scooby Doo and Curious George. I ended up with Curious George - it seems to be an all-around favorite for him. Sometimes he likes Scooby Doo, but always - whether books or television or movies - he loves Curious George. His last three or four library books from school have been Curious George, even though he owns the treasury collection that has most of them already in it. Still, that's what he picks to bring home.
For Sawyer, the choice was easy. He's been obsessing over the Shrek 2 movie, which happens to be my favorite of the series. It's the only one he ever wants to watch. And no, it's not lost on me that it involves a green character - his least favorite color. Truth be told, I think he might be reversing himself. He's been sorting out all the green states in Connor's new wooden puzzle map of the United States. He still won't touch the green Crunch Berries though.
For Xander, the choice was also easy. We'd done a Crayola one for him before, but art is still one of his greatest loves. He's always begging to pull the art supplies out of the closet. He brings home more "artwork" than both of his brothers combined. He simply loves it. Besides, it's not like they have a Hallmark ornament dedicated to playing computer games. Not even a laptop ornament. So really, what choice did I have?
Three boys, three ornaments. A favorite tradition.