MacKenzie-Childs Christmas Ornaments: These are a few of my favorite things

One of my favorite things about Christmas is being able to unpack & display my collection of MacKenzie-Childs ornaments.  I love the company’s whimsical, hand-painted products & gifts and I’m especially drawn to their black and white patterned items.

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It was love at first sight when I first encountered MacKenzie-Childs products more than 15 years ago at my neighbor’s house.  She owned several pieces of their tableware and pottery and her huge Christmas tree was entirely decorated with MC ornaments.  I was in complete awe - and so my love affair began.

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When I lived on the East coast, I would travel into NYC several times a year and make a beeline for their shop in Manhattan.  Their products and displays always sparked my imagination and I would leave feeling completely inspired.  In fact, that inspiration motivated me to design and hand-paint several furniture pieces that I then sold in the shop I owned (a furniture, home accessories & antiques shop in Pennsylvania.) Several years later, I even visited the MacKenzie-Childs Victorian Farm in Aurora, New York and toured their production studio, shop, beautiful farm buildings & surroundings. It’s an amazing spot overlooking Cayuga Lake.  I especially loved the gorgeous chicken coop (actually, they call it the Chicken Palace) that would give Martha Stewart a run for her money.

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Over the years I have managed to collect some MacKenzie-Childs items: canisters,  tableware, dog bowls, decorative vases, and fun knobs. But my favorite items remain their ornaments.  Since they are a bit pricey, my collection is growing slowly. However, I have learned that if you can wait until after the holidays, you can find some good values during their after Christmas sale. A couple of years ago, I got several ornaments and a tree topper at ½ price – Score!

If you love creativity, whimsy and unique, funky items, then you’ll enjoy perusing the Mackenzie-Childs website.  Who knows, you may even be inspired to create a few of your own handmade treasures.