trimming the travel tree

From encountering black bears in Alaska all the way to snorkeling in Florida, 

we've definitely ventured wide and far across the states this year. Not to mention, traveling all through Europe, picking up my favorite souvenir along the way...christmas ornaments.

I do this all year long and by the time December rolls around, I've collected quite a few holiday baubles to adorn the tree. This has been the best idea and holiday tradition to start because it ties the best parts of the year into our Christmas tree. Just when you thought Christmas couldn't get any better. Now, we can reminisce about travels past while decorating the tree. I wanted to show off some of my favorites from this year, so I grouped them into fun little categories below.

International Travels 

This was a rare year for me and I was fortunate to have passed through so many countires from Spain to Italy to France to Monaco to Canada and just recently to Iceland. I don't know what it is about traveling abroad, but when you're so far from home, it feels extra special to bring back a piece of that country with you.

New York! New York!

Its always nice to enjoy the big city every once in a while. This year, I ended up with multiple visits to see some iconic spots including an unexpected layover in New York with my little sister that landed us at the top of the Empire State Building. Also met Husband in New York twice this year including Valentine's Day. Some definite highlights for us included broadway, MoMa, and of course winter in Central Park. 

The Great Outdoors
Always happy to spend as much time as possible hiking and camping throughout the year since it’s my favorite place to be. I’m especially obsessed with this little lantern and campfire ornaments we picked up during our Southern Road Trip through Tennessee & Kentucky. These ornaments brought lots of other fun reminders of camping and hiking with Memorial Day in the Mountains with my sister & an autumn road trip through the Smokies with husband. 

Florida Road Trip 

Rediscovering all these ornaments was so fun with reminding me not only of this epic Florida Road Trip, but also the crazy story of how lost my wedding ring along the way. I love that we picked up ornaments from our favorite stops to remind us of camping & snorkeling in the keys and casting spells at the wizarding world of harry potter. So funny how a few trinkets can represent the bucket list highlights of your year. 

Alaskan Anniversary Adventure 

We definitely overdid it with picking up more than our share of Christmas ornaments in Alaska. We would discover the perfect ornament to represent our trip, but at the next stop, we would find one we liked even more. Oops! I don't feel bad about buying all the ornaments here though because its proof of how much we loved our time there. 

Had to show off this favorite one below that was hand-crafted by a local tribe artist and is embossed with gold. Tell me, could you leave this beauty behind? 

 I love the look of styled trees, but they also can feel a bit sterile to me. I'd much rather see sentimental and handmade ornaments on our tree. So picking up a new ornament at every new place we visit is right up our alley. Because every destination you travel to becomes a piece of you and it just makes sense to incorporate it all those pieces into the coziest best time of the year. 

Happy Holidays!