countdown to christmas - day two

Christmas tree cutting always seems to be followed by Christmas tree decorating. And, the best part of decorating, in my opinion, is going through the boxes of ornaments, reliving the memories behind each one, and finding the perfect spot on the tree for each piece.
The three ornaments above are my favorites this year. Here's why...

1. The red bird - I love that this little guy clips right to the tree branch. I grew up with this random ornament on our tree each year, but I never knew where it came from or why I liked it... except that it was different from all the other ornaments that hung from the typical metal wire hooks.

2. The sheep - When my mom was pregnant with me, she sewed up a bunch of "nursery rhyme" ornaments. For as long as I can remember, I have seen these pieces on our Christmas trees. I've adopted two of them into my own ornament collection.

3. The chicken - Last winter, while visiting NYC, Dan & I picked up this quirky little chick. It was fun to have forgotten about it and then unwrap it amongst the other, more familiar decorations. The mix of carved wood, rusty wire legs, and rustic paint makes Mr. Chicken a keeper.

It seems that I am drawn to the animal ornaments amongst our collection. I didn't even realize it until I posted the pictures. A developing source of inspiration, perhaps?