Blogger: Rachel Kent
Location: Braving the shopping malls
It was hard to pick an ornament off of my tree as a “remembered” ornament because I’ve only had my own, full-sized Christmas tree for two years. I decided to write about our Yellowstone ornament because it combines my childhood with my adulthood.
Andrew and I took our summer vacation in Yellowstone this year.
This was my dream trip because I went to Yellowstone many times as a child with my family, and I loved it there. My family camped, and I still love camping. Andrew had never been camping before he met me. The one week in Yellowstone was by far the longest he had camped. He was a bit nervous that he would get bored without all of the comforts of home, but he really enjoyed the trip. Good thing because I plan on camping every year. 😀
We saw a lot of wildlife (had a bear sniff our tent one night), hiked, watched the geysers, saw the paint pots, waterfalls, and colored pools, and enjoyed spending time together.
We bought the ornament because Yellowstone now holds special memories for both of us, and we look forward to going again, and hopefully someday taking our children too. My parents instilled a love of adventure and nature in me, and I look forward to passing it on.
Do you have any ornaments from favorite vacations? What souvenir, if any, do you collect on trips?
Here are a couple of pictures taken in Yellowstone. One is from 1991 and the other from 2011.
Rachel, what wonderful memories from Yellowstone! (Was the nosy bear a bit scary?)
I collect gingerbread men/women, and whenever we travel, I always have an eye out for just the right one! Many of them are actually Christmas ornaments, and they all have a special place of prominence on my laundry room wall. They brighten my day in what would normally be a boring room of the house. Can you guess what my laundry room borders are? (Yep. Gingerbread men!)
Merry Christmas!
My family took a vacation there, but my hubby and I couldn’t go. 🙁 I love mugs with the big handles and I always buy one wherever I go. I also make my friends bring me back one when they go on vacation. Great pictures!
What a great way to bring cherished memories from throughout the year to Christmas!
When we travel, we inevitably end up getting what we call “functional souveniers.” …Like the trip we took to Whidbey Island a few years back where we had to travel basically sans-luggage (we got to the airport too late to check it). We hit the local Wal-mart once we arrived for clothing and necessities. Or, on our honeymoon camping trip up the CA/OR coast and coming back down via the central route, my husband picked up a guitar strap in Ashland that he still uses today.
I snatch up treasure-books when I find them on travels… my favorite would have to be the tattered 1932 copy of “Northanger Abbey” and “Persuasion” (in one volume). I bought it at Covent Garden in London when I finally worked up the courage to ask the bookstand man how much it was (“For you love? Five pounds!”). I stitched that flapping, worn spine back together sitting in my wide windowsill of the tiny dorm room I occupied for the 3 weeks I there in college.
…and last, I link memories to scents. Sounds wierd, I know, but when I was young I bought a stick of “original” Chapstick while in the San Juan Islands with my family. Ever since, even years & years later, whenever I use that “flavor,” it brings me back to that trip. So, I try to carry on the olfactory souvenier/memory tradition now by trying a new chapstick or lotion on trips.
Merry Christmas, and thanks for the fun post!
Lovely photos, Rachel. Thanks for sharing such a special memory with us.
Every year we visit the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I have several ornaments from there that I pick up at The Christmas Shop and Island Gallery in Manteo. I used to collect spoons, but haven’t in a while.
Hoping you have a blessed Christmas season.
Ornaments are a crucial part of the Sundin Christmas. My husband has a deep love (obsession?) with ornaments, and we have enough now for two trees – maybe three. Our favorite souvenir ornaments came from a gorgeous Christmas store in Rothenburg, Germany. The ornaments aren’t just beautiful but meaningful, because that summer in Europe has become one of our family’s most treasured memories.
My score-gift for my husband’s December birthday this year was a UCLA (our alma mater) nutcracker ornament. He loves nutcrackers almost as much as ornaments, so it was a triple score 🙂
Thanks for sharing Rachel. Our anniversary is December 17th. Our first Christmas my MIL bought us a bride/groom ornament–it certainly looks every bit of 23 years old! But we love it and still hang it every year.
Hey, Amanda, Whidbey Island is in my neck of the woods. Well, sort of, about an hour and half away. 🙂
We are avid campers. My kids like to collect cool looking rocks when we’re in the mountains, or neat sticks. We found a great flat rock that is now the landing pad when you step off the deck.
Of course, at the ocean, it’s all about the shells. We’ve got our favorites displayed in jars in the bathroom.
Melissa, small world! I love the Northwest. If you ever happen to hop over to Whidbey, stop by the Wal-Mart in Oak Harbor and you’ll see the place where we bought everything from backpacks (we were going cycling on San Juan later) to jeans 2-sizes too big. Got rid of them as soon as we got home, but it was a lovely trip despite my state of perpetual baggy pants. Fell in love with tiny Coupeville… if you’re looking for a charming daytrip, make it to Coupeville.
Cynthia, the bear was VERY scary. We had the dogs in the tent with us and I had forgotten to put one of the dog bones in the car and I was sure that was what the bear was after. There were a lot of attacks this last year in Yellowstone including one tent attack and that was all I could think about during the 20 minutes the bear was outside the tent. Andrew slept through the entire thing, but we found bear tracks in the morning so I had proof that it actually happened. And miraculously the dogs didn’t bark–perhaps they knew it was something dangerous?
Choosing a tent for camping is the first task for any camping trip. What type of weather conditions are you expecting? Always be prepared for the worst, rain, wind, and cold. There are three season and four season tents available. Four season tents are heavier than three season tents. They tend to have more poles than three season tents to help them withstand wind and snow fall. Of course, most of us are fair weather campers. A three season tent will be fine for us. So, now, what style of tent do you want?,
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