2nd Annual Williams Family Ornament Party

I've alluded to Peter Pan before, so I might as well make a habit of it. I adored that movie as a kid. I especially liked the beginning when Mr. and Mrs. Darling were getting all gussied up to go to a party. Yes, Mr. Darling was a bumbling stress case, but Mrs. Darling was always so lovely. I always thought that there was something very romantic and wonderful about parents going off to a fancy party or social. During my growing up years that's how the Randle Christmas Party seemed to me. Its really the only grown-up party that I remember my parents going to (except for faculty meeting which I found out when I became a teacher is a really dull get together that could only very loosely be defined as any sort of party--a boring party maybe?) So, in my growing up years my parents would spend weeks inventing and creating handmade and unique Christmas ornaments to take to the Randle's party. They would make a yummy grown-up appetizer and would go off to the party only to return hours later with other people's way cool handmade ornaments while we all ooohed and aaahed over the descriptions of the goings on. I remember being amazed when I was 7 and at the height of my "Saturdays Warrior" obsession to hear that my mother actually had recieved an ornament created by Marvin Payne. Yes, my friends, the dad from "Saturdays Warrior."

In my adulthood I am still excited each year as my parents create their ornaments and then exchange them for other cool ornaments. My siblings have been as well. So, last year we decided to throw a similar party for our family. Every member (including my niece Madison and nephews Taylor, Lincoln, and Asher) creates an ornament and keeps it secret until the party when we take turns opening and stealing ornaments from each other until the game is complete. This year was our second annual ornament party there were some really fantastic ornaments and here they are:

Mom made this amazing angel complete with a photograph of her face from the May-Day Dance festival at Maeser Elementary School in the 60's. The halo is from an acorn found on BYU campus, the body is driftwood and the wings are tin. Madison got mom's.
Taylor and Madison made these beautiful snowflakes with clear beads. Very intricate--especially for kids! We got to keep Taylors.
Lincoln's was one of my very favorites, he wrapped green ribbon and raspberry pom pom trim around a styrofoam ball and stuck it in with pretty pins. Creative. Taylor nabbed this one from me near the end of the game!
Joel's ornament was a gourd that he had carved a diamond design into and embellished with different textures. He then used shoe polish to polish it up and darken different parts of it. We got to keep this one and were way excited about it!
Dan made this beauty out of an antique mason jar lid he found during a dig at work. The flower thing is from our 70's chandelier in our apartment that suddenly fell and shattered one night. The hook was also found at a dig and the beads and wire were a nice touch. My mom got Dan's.
Courtney made this cool angel. Click on the picture so that you can see the detail on it. She made the pattern herself and sewed on the coolest old buttons. Fantastic. Dad chose Courtney's.
We have an old "radio show" that we made and taped when we were kids where Cam told a knock knock joke. The punchline was "orange you glad you're a nugget bunny?" It doesn't make sense. We know. But that hilariously dumb joke became the inspiration for Beth's great ornament here. She made the yarn pom-poms herself and created the most adorable bunny wearing a muffin cup skirt. Since it was Cam that inspired it, he was way excited to keep this one.
As always, Dad made an amazing Santa Claus carving. I love the nose and beard it reminds me of the drawing of Moses that he drew on the chalkboard when he taught my Sunday School class when I was 9. I love how he painted the face as well with those rosy cheeks. I don't remember who got Dad's ornament but I think it was Courtney.
I had been thinking of making a little garland for a year or two so I made a smaller version for the ornament party this year. This one also has family ties because every year Grandma Williams puts up a "bah humbug" banner that dad made decades ago. The backs of the tags are even cuter than the fronts. I was pretty proud of it. The beads are from Aunt Sue! Matt got this one.

I'm missing pictures of Cam, Matt, and Asher's ornaments. Cute Asher made a cool one the same way Lincoln did, but he couldn't bear to lose it so he held it on his lap the whole time. Matt made a cool beaded one with wire that was twisted in cool shapes. Cam made another one out of clay using an exacto knife to cut it. It was another family joke about Joel and Clorox wipes. Clay must be Cam's medium, he's really good at it. He must get it from his aunt Marie.