I started out with these clear plastic Christmas ornaments I got for $1 at Wal-Mart. My suggestion is to go ahead and get 5-10 and knock out the prep work for the next few years!
I cut the year out of brushed gold vinyl with my Cricut and while I was at it went ahead and cut out years ahead so we could start this little family tradition at Christmas time! If you don’t have a Cricut, you could use scrapbook stickers or paint the year on each ornament just as easily.
I made little ribbon toppers for each ornament by sliding fat wired houndstooth ribbon into the ornamnt topper. I laid out three lengths of small ribbon in red and gold, looped that through the ornament top and tied a basic knot, cut the ends and spread out the ribbons. I am not a huge bow person, so this is super simple and not as fru fru as it could be.
Once everyone fills out the sheet roll them up and slip them inside the top of the ornament. I love to see everyone’s personal handwriting and thoughts, it’s like a mini scrapbook on your tree! I also picked up a few Christmas greenery picks and using a wire cutter I snipped short bits of faux greenery to slip in the ornament for a little pop of color and texture.
I like to use the nice ornament holders to hang my ornaments from, my mom gave me some a few years ago and they are AWESOME! Our traditional ornaments are glass collectibles and these hooks hold them so much better. Plus they are just prettier!