Needless to say, we pick up souvenirs from all of the places that we visit so that when we see those objects, they remind us of the places we’ve visited.  In particular, though, we try to find something Christmas related whenever we can.  It is quite enjoyable to be decorating the house or trimming the tree and coming across something that we’ve picked up from one of our travels.  It isn’t always possible to find something, but sometimes we will find a Christmas store or curio store that sells something Christmas related.

We were in England about a month prior to Christmas and one of our fondest memories was going to Stratford-Upon-Avon and seeing the mayor announce the arrival of Santa Claus, who appeared on the roof.  We drank mulled wine at a local pub and found a perfect little store full of Christmas decorations.  While we were in London, we made our way to Harrods to view their Christmas displays and to do some Christmas shopping.

Another great memory was when we were in Paris and we found a little store that sold wonderful china where we found the perfect little statue of a boy and girl on a sleigh.  It is the memory of the streets of Paris and the little shops that we went into that comes back to our minds as we put it out on our mantelpiece every year.

It isn’t as if the items are extravagant or expensive, but we treasure each and every one of them.  Whether from Aspen, Chicago, Spain, England, France or any other place, each comes with a trove of memories.  What better time of the year to pull out a piece of the past and set it out to remind us of the places that we’ve travelled to.