As a kid, decorating the Christmas tree was a magical experience. My mom assembled the tree and wound the lights (the hard parts). Then, while she retreated to the kitchen to bake cookies and warm apple cider, my siblings and I hung the ornaments. 

I remember an angel made of foam balls with yarn tassels, a little brown bear in a wagon full of tiny presents, and a gold star with my name etched into it. I especially loved the ones made by friends and relatives. So carefully made — as evidenced by the hand-placed stitches and drops of glue.

A few years ago, my mom sent me a box of my favorites. Today, I’m warming apple cider and watching my son take each one out. He laughs at them more than I ever did (like the one with the bride and groom kissing, or the foam frame with the photo of a red, wrinkly baby – him). 

Besides my childhood ornaments, he’s gotten a few of his own along the way. Batman in the Batmobile. A shiny red electric guitar with gold strings. And that same magic sparkles in his eyes when he takes these out.

When Blizzard Entertainment's Overwatch team asked for fan-made ornaments, I couldn’t resist leaning into that nostalgic magic and whipping up some variations of my childhood favorites. (My son even contributed with a few himself.)

Curious how the red edging is done? Check out my free tutorial on Single-Fold Bias Binding.