Melody Gordon-Healy
quilting teacher, Baltimore
“My very favorite Christmas ornaments are ones we made when the children were growing up. They were never elegant ornaments, but they were important, these things the kids did. We made ornaments cut from felt—lambs and lions were big. We cut ovals and hearts from glitter paper and glued them together. They would be red, they would be green, they would be silver—just about any color. The felt things would usually be white felt with glitter on them. The hearts were always white and red.”

Dyana Neal
WBJC-FM disc jockey, Baltimore
“I’ve been collecting unusual Christmas ornaments since I was in college. Every year, my husband, Jim Knost, and I put up a very eclectic tree with glass, fabric, metal, wooden, and porcelain ornaments. Some are new, some are vintage, but all represent something special to us: cats, music, food, fashion, antiques, the ocean, shows we’ve been in, etc. We have some pretty unusual ones, including a bagel with cream cheese, pizza slices (veggie for me, pepperoni for him), a giant pink sequined fish, and a miniature 1960s Easy Bake Oven that looks just like the one my sister and I had growing up.
Of course, we have ornaments shaped like vintage radios—several small glass ones and one that’s quite heavy (I think it’s made of wood);  it has to be hung from a very sturdy branch. It’s hard for me to say which is my favorite, but I am very fond of the one we bought on our honeymoon in Maui. It’s enameled brass, shaped like a traditional Christmas wreath, with Mele Kalikimaka (Hawaiian for Merry Christmas) written on it and a little aloha shirt dangling in the center. Not only does it remind me of our honeymoon, but Bing Crosby’s Mele Kalikimaka is my all-time favorite pop Christmas song—I even put it on my answering machine one December. About a third of our tree (the lowest branches) has to be decorated with unbreakable ornaments in case our cats, Winston and Carmen, decide to play ‘ornament baseball.’ They’re usually pretty well-behaved around the tree, but better safe than sorry.”

Janet Dudley-Eshbach
president, Salisbury University
“My family and I have been fortunate to travel widely, and our family Christmas tree displays ornaments that reflect places that are close to our hearts. Having lived in Mexico for six years, I have a collection of special hand-crafted ornaments from that country. Given what is going on in the world today, the hand-painted dove ornament in the Tonalá style is particularly meaningful. While simple in design, this piece of Mexican folk art reminds me that more than material possessions, what we should be seeking during the holiday season and year-round is peace on earth and good will toward others.”

Joseph Walsh
author, Were They Wise Men or Kings? The Book of Christmas Questions, Baltimore
“When we were in Belgium, my wife, Gayla’s, mom and dad came over, and we went to Cologne for the weekend. That was the last time we were all together with the grandparents. We got a wooden bear ornament that weekend that was actually made in Germany. It’s a brown bear sitting on a train—nothing special, but part of the pleasure is in the object, and part of it is in the nostalgia. In Greek, nostos means homecoming, and algos means pain. And the feeling of nostalgia is like ‘Isn’t this nice? But it’s gone.’ When I think about the bear, I remember it being the last time we were together, but since Gayla’s dad is deceased, the memory is as bitter as it is sweet.”

John Klisavage
owner, Washington Street Books and Antiques, Havre de Grace, Md.
“My new favorite Christmas ornament is a Star Wars Death Star produced by Hallmark. A friend just brought a couple Star Wars pieces into the store, and when I saw this one, I said, ‘What a cool ornament. That’s going home with me.’ It has lights and a ‘magic voice.’ I love Star Wars. It’s a phenomenon that crosses genders and time periods, and the more you watch the movie, the more you see in it. I’m going to put the Death Star on my tree at home—right in the middle of the tree. And my kids will say, ‘Oh, Dad, another Star Wars ornament?’ But they’ll like it.”

Mary M. Zajac
court reporter, Severna Park, Md.
“One of my favorite ornaments is from Hampden. It’s a Natty Boh can angel. The eyes are nails, and it’s missing one of them. It’s really different. It’s not pretty, but it doesn’t have to be. I grew up in East Baltimore, and, to me, the angel signifies Baltimore, how a lot of things that weren’t in style when I was growing up (Natty Boh, even Canton) are now fashionable. It all comes back, doesn’t it?”

Robert Zuchelli
owner/innkeeper, William Page Inn, Annapolis
“I have a clown doing the splits. It’s by Christopher Radko, and it’s red and green and white with a red hat and a big smile, and its arms are in the air. It has a lot of joy and enthusiasm in it and reminds me of the feeling I always had as a young child, running down the stairs to see what presents were there. My mother bought it for me seven or eight years ago, and I display it on my sideboard—sometimes it sits on the silver tea set.”

Azam Khan
realtor, Baltimore
“My sister lives in Poland, and I have some handblown glass balls from there. Some are large and very light and very fragile. They’re hand-painted in bright colors like red and blue. Some have winter scenes. Another set of ornaments that I absolutely love are made in Pakistan. They are little slippers with embroidery and sequins. I’ve got blue ones, pink ones, and the embroidery and sequins are gold.”

Christopher Bradyhouse
manager, The Wine Market, Baltimore
“I have three ornaments I really like. One is a clay star my sister brought back for me when she was traveling in the Middle East. It has beads and little teeny mirrors that reflect the light. Another one I like was my grand-mother’s. It’s probably from the 1950s and has an unusual shape. It’s kind of like a teardrop, but it looks like there is a crater in the middle of it. It’s gold and sort of faded. She gave it to my parents, and my parents gave it to me about three years ago. I also have a glass ball from my parents that I remember from growing up. It’s blue and has a scene of people coming out of church and the words ‘Oh Come All Ye Faithful.’ Very classic looking. It’s got spots, but it’s held up well. It reminds me of my childhood and decorating the tree with my sisters. So I’ve got three generations of ornaments on my tree.”

Eleanor Shriver Magee
director of development, Talbot County Habitat for Humanity, Easton, Md.
“I love Christmas; I’m all over it. And I don’t really have a favorite tree ornament, but I have a memory and a tradition that I’d like to perpetuate for my children. When I was growing up, my parents would decorate the mantel with pine greens, and I have this memory of a crèche scene and a town being among the greens. It was a fun thing to put together. And sometimes my mom did it, and sometimes my older sisters did it, and then I did it. Now I have a crèche that belonged to my older sister, Marion, who passed away. The crèche has a Caribbean flair; it’s not traditional. It’s carved, painted wood in very soft pastels. It’s really small and sits in a woven palm box. You open it up and all the pieces— like the wise men, the animals, the palm trees—come out. Now every year I put it on our mantel like I grew up doing.”

Robin Melton
chief ranger, Point Lookout State Park, Scotland, Md.
“I have a couple favorites, but my first favorite is a small handmade ornament made by my aunt. It’s made from a walnut shell and has a teeny little mouse inside. It’s been on my tree since she gave it to me about thirteen years ago. She died early, in her fifties, and I have lots of things she made me over the years to remind me of her.”

Jennifer Jordan
senior professional representative Merck Pharmaceuticals, Salisbury, Md.
“I have three Christmas ornaments from when my dad was a little boy. They’re old looking and very fragile. One is a funky kind of shape. Remember that kids’ game where you put the fat plastic doughnut over a cone? That’s sort of what this looks like. It has red, blue, and clear rings. My dad used to hang it on his tree as a kid in Baltimore, and nowI hang it on my tree.”

Diane Evanusa
Co-owner, Beach to Bay Seafood, Princess Anne, Md.
“My favorite ornaments are the ones my children made for me. They’re not the prettiest to the eye. One I have is a bell made out of Styrofoam. The top has glitter in all different colors, and there’s a jingle bell inside. There’s a reindeer made out of two clothespins. We have green balls with our names written in glitter that my daughter made for all the family. (Green is her favorite color.) Nothing expresses Christmas to me like these ornaments. They’re nothing fancy, but Christmas is all about the tradition.”

Frank Draper
assistant federal public defender, Centreville, Md.
“Everyone in my family has an opinion about their favorite ornament. My wife’s favorite is a painted oyster shell with a picture of South Carolina. And the shell is from her favorite place in the world, Edisto Island. My favorite ornament has been in the family for years. I grew up in Centreville, and a local woman crocheted these wonderful stars shaped like snowflakes. She pressed them and starched them; they’re absolutely beautiful. They were on my parents’ tree, and we inherited them. My kids’ favorite ornament is a pickle. It was given to them by a cousin of mine in New York. My kids love hiding it, and last year we didn’t find it until after the tree came down!”

Glenn Carowan
manager, Blackwater National Refuge, Cambridge, Md.
“My favorite ornament is a peacock. It’s hand blown and probably dates back to the mid-1800s. My wife and I actually found it in the attic of an old house built in the late 1600s that my wife’s uncle had inherited in Cockeysville. The attic had all sorts of toys and Christmas stuff, and, of course, we’re scavengers and antique buffs. We were rummaging in the attic, and we saw this little door and opened it. Inside, everything was dusty, and that’s where we found the peacock. It’s all different blues and greens and about five inches long from tip to tail. The tail is closed, but it’s pretty. We hang it on the top of the tree so it’s well-protected.”

Johanna Letts
optometrist, Annapolis
“My favorite ornament is one of a collection of ornaments from the White House. It’s a replica of the White House from 1986. It’s white-and-gold metal and shaped like the White House. My mom gave it to me in 1986 as one of my Christmas gifts. At the time, I was very into politics, though I’m not as much anymore. As I’ve gotten older, the ornament has become important because my mother gave it to me. It isn’t about what it looks like anymore; it’s about what it represents.”

Gail Tucker
Anne Arundel County public school teacher, Annapolis
“My favorite ornament is a small ceramic angel. Six years ago, I went through a very difficult time, and throughout it I was surrounded by so much love. I delivered my daughter, Grace Ellen, at seven months. She only lived for one day. There were so many lovely and thoughtful gestures people made, and one person gave me this angel because she thought it looked like my daughter. It’s just a couple of inches high, in a flowing cream dress. I hang it on the tree. It doesn’t make me sad. It just becomes more and more joyful through the years.”

Kessler Burnett
editor, Chesapeake Life Easton, Md. 
“I’ve only had one dog in my life, a yellow lab, and her name was Mattie. She was the sweetest animal that has ever lived. She was so dear that my mother used to call her ‘angel girl.’ One Christmas, Mom gave me an ornament that had an angel’s body, complete with wings, but had a yellow lab’s head. Instead of putting a star on top of the tree, I hang Mattie on top of the tree. It reminds me that she’s in heaven, where she belongs, probably curled up on God’s couch, hogging most of the room. It makes me happy to see her watching over me.”