Wishing you a joyous holiday season filled with warmth and laughter as we celebrate new beginnings together. May the upcoming year bring success, prosperity, and fresh opportunities. Here’s to a festive holiday season and a thriving new year!
Before we step into the New Year, we want to celebrate our WG team that made 2023 such a success. Below, you’ll find a story from each of our WG team members on their favorite ornament to lead us into the holiday season.
If you’re joining us on mobile, click the photo of our WG team member to view their favorite ornament.
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Deborah Barber
Account Services
This is an ornament my grandmother made ages ago. She had a stroke long before I was born and as part of her rehab, to help get hand-eye coordination and concentration skills sharpened, she made dozens and dozens of beaded and decorated Christmas ornaments.
I remember as a child, their entire tree was filled with them — all different colors and some more detailed than others. When she passed away my mom and aunt split them up. My mom gifted this one to me because it was the most “contemporary” and probably the only one with any black on it! It has moved around our houses over the years but I keep it hanging somewhere all year round to remind me of her and her determination to fully recover.
Jennifer Brough
Principal
One of my favorites comes from my Aunt who makes German stars every year. Cutting strips of paper, dipped in wax and folding into pretty little creations. She did this one in memory of my mom.
Talia Hale
Creative Services
My brother got married a few Decembers ago, and he and his fiancée had an extremely cute idea for their wedding gifts. They asked guests to bring a Christmas ornament that represented them, so that their tree every year would be decorated by their loved ones.
My husband and I met in Japan and it’s been a big part of our lives, so when I saw this adorable soy sauce ornament, I just had to get two!
Amy Keller
Account Services
I have lovely memories of making Christmas ornaments with my mother, and throughout my life had kept them as keepsakes. After college though, I misplaced them in a move.
Last Christmas, my parents visited from Nova Scotia, and my mum and I made these pretty ornaments from clay and dried flowers. It reinvigorated my love of handmade decorations, by using materials from nature. This Christmas, I’ve continued making them with my children, which is my new kind of sentimental tradition for us to continue through the years.
Thomas Kolvenbag
Creative Services
So this is a family favorite ornament! A sausage! Specifically, it is a Rookworst (smoked sausage) from a dutch store chain called HEMA. The HEMA “worst” is a very popular snack/meal in the Netherlands, eat it on a roll with mustard or with mashed potatoes!
It’s also become somewhat of a folk-symbol for the store, appearing in a lot of merchandise. Christmas ornaments, for example. My family also has a HEMA worst pool floatie. It’s even appeared on a postage stamp!
Rose Lantz
Principal
Growing up in New York, my grandparents lived with us and had their own tree in their living room. We would gather around their tree to receive gifts from them and then also around our tree.
German tradition was to open gifts on Christmas eve once we either sang a Christmas song or played our instruments. My brothers played the trumpet, and I played the clarinet or played on the electric organ. Even the adults would sign German Christmas carols.
Along with those traditions a pickle ornament was hidden in each Christmas tree. A special gift was given to who ever could find it first. We’ve continued most of my childhood traditions with my mom living with us and having her own Christmas tree along with ours. We gather around each tree and still hide the pickle ornament in each. Doesn’t matter how old my daughters are, they still compete to see who can find the pickle first!
Brittany Loeffler
Account Services
This is my one ornament that I put on year after year. I used to put it up to remember my Uncle Jeff, as I always considered him my guardian angel. I am a lot like him with his spunk and positivity and motto of living life to the fullest.
Each year I place him on my tree to look after me for another year. Since 2020, both my grandmothers died (September 2020 and February 2021), so pretty much months from each other. To me this now resembles all my angels looking over me! It’s the only ornament that is different on my tree, and I typically place it closer to the top!
Adriana Roth
Creative Services
This is a little hand-sculptured ornament of the Mari Lwyd, the macabre-looking but utterly cheerful face of wassailing tradition in Wales. The Mari Lwyd is traditionally made of a horse skull and a pole (to be carried as carolers engage their neighbors in a lyrical back-and-forth for food and beverage), draped in fabric, ribbons, and baubles, and even features ornaments for eyes.
I love handmade and eclectic when it comes to decor, and this is one of many ornaments that represent all different interests and influences in my life. Putting up and decorating the tree every year becomes a lovely reaffirming year-end intention. And though my Welsh heritage is fractional, I’d love to see this centuries-old tradition come back full steam (or maybe full horse power) and even start to come stateside. You would definitely find me leading the battle of lyrical wits with my neighbors.
Christine Teetsel
Social Media
It has always been a favorite since it makes me think of my grandparents who got it for me (and who have both passed), but this year it’s particularly special since my grandfather passed in July (along with a few other loved ones I’ve lost this year).
With this holiday season being a bit hard, this snowman brings a smile to my face since my grandparents got it for me genuinely thinking that it said “Christine” on it…at least, I think. I get “Christina” a lot, “Kristin” sometimes, and even “Chris” (which isn’t wrong, but I’m only okay with my mom calling me this), but never before and never since have I gotten “Christian.” I guess it’s a once-in-a-lifetime memento that I never knew I wanted but need a bit more than ever this year.
CELEBRATE WITH US
We’d love to see your holiday traditions and how you’re celebrating the new year. Tag #wgholiday on Instagram to share your photo or memory with us.