Monthly Archives: December 2021

………………………..Some of our most favorite ornaments are the Santa and Snowmen ornaments from Patricia Breen. We used to buy them in a wonderful store in Wilton, CT, called “The Christmas Barn”, and that exactly what it looked like……a tiny barn filled to the rafters with all kinds of decorations. They had the most marvelous things that they imported from all over Europe……We would go every year to see what wonderful new things they had brought into the store…….Every year it was something different, and every year we would fill our little straw baskets as we perused around the store……They always had one tree that was decorated in only Patricia Breen ornaments. Jac and I would stop together and marvel at their beauty. The detail of each piece was simply unbelievable….. They were very expensive so we would only buy a couple a season. We would always put them on the tree first in the “best spots”. Out of curiosity I recently went on line and googled “Patrician Breen Ornaments”……holey moley! They have tripled in price!…..Now I will be even more careful when I put them on the tree and take them off…….Unfortunately, the “Christmas Barn” closed a few years ago, and I’ve never found another store near me like it. It was such a happy place to visit!

……………………We always tried to pick unusual ornaments….the Elephant, the hand painted glass candy, the bottle of wine and the grapes all came from different stores and different years. The glass bell came from Denmark. The cricket was such a funny looking thing I had to add him to the tree. We had lots of different fruits and vegetable ornaments too……I particularly loved the pine cones that came in a variety of shapes and colors………Over the years some of the color icicles have fallen and broken so I’m very careful with those, but accidents always seem to happen…….I just have to sweep them up and not think about it too much. I just think….well….they’ve gone to Jac and she’s using them to decorate her tree in heaven.

………………..When we got married in 2000 we bought the “Bride and Groom”, and the “wedding Ring” ornaments. They always get a special place in the front of the tree. The Mermaid and the Fish and Seahorse ornaments are our ode to the sea……There are many Egg shaped ornaments too. They are very ornate and look like Faberge……The clear glass “Star Snowflake” with it’s delicate linear work that looks like icing….was one of our earliest acquistions….it too was from Denmark .

………………….Jac would always select anything with a Red Cardinal depicted on it. She said it reminded her of her grandmother…….The sailing ship at the upper right was something we bought in Kenneybunkport. Jac and her Mom adored Lily of the Valley, and when ever she saw an ornament with them on it she had to have it…….The little tin Merry Go Round at the lower right has all moving parts…….I had to have that one……Go to the next page to see more ornaments!

……………………Jac loved Lily of the Valley so when ever we saw an ornament with them on it we scooped it up. She acquired quite a collection. The red heart is one of my favorites and the animal kingdom is represented here with a rabbit, an owl and love birds.