What is your most treasured material possession?

[Thrifty Ray]

When I was young, my brother and I used to fight each year over who would hang the little house on the Christmas Tree. Now mind you, this house is probably older than dirt...I have never seen anything like it...it is not decorated with Christmas colors, in fact, it is a dull grey, green color with sparkly glitter...about 2 inches tall. Ugly as sin. But as children, it was our favorite argument each year...and it continued into adulthood.

My brother died in a motorcycle accident in 1988 (age 30) and that little house is my favorite material possession.

It holds a place of honor, year round, in my hutch...and is the last ornament on the tree- a completion of the tree if you will each year.

My second fav is a ring that my dad gave to my mom 30 years ago...they had a diamond from my brother set into it after his accident...and then gave it to me....so it has a piece of each of them in its history. I cherish that ring.

What are your treasures?

[frugalfarmwife]

I have many things from family, both mine and my husbands, we're more or less the historians, no one else seems to care about the past.

I have a collection of items from my grand fathers and then dads drug store, pictures, advertisements, etc, that are really priceless to me. Oh, and a silly trophy my dad won in a cow milking contest when I was 7, one of the few good memories I have of a very busy man, he was the mayor and it was a political "contest" at a local community party, btw, the statue on the the trophy is a bull

kj

[PrincessPerky]

Heh, bull for a ccow milking ontest!

I have a lthing of christmas bells that while broken, were the same sort of memory, Bro and I alternated who hung them each year (they do not go on my tree though DH did reglue them-no way I am risking my kids breaking them any worse!)

I think past that my Teddy would be missed the most!

[debtfreeme]

the love letters my grandfather wrote my grandmother when they met and began courting. they were married 3 months later and lasted almost 56 years til he passed. I also have their original wedding picture.

those are the only things i would mourn if my house was destroyed. i can't get them back and my grandparents are both gone.

[debtfreeme]

oh and my first stuffed animal: a bright hot pink elephant my mom made for me when i was born now faded and the blanket and quilt my mom and grandma made me. the afghan i still use every day and it is about 25 years old. the doll cloths me grandma made me, best dressed dol in the west.

[Fern]

It's nearly impossible to name a single item, but like the others, I'd have to say that objects given to my by family are most important to me.

Examples:
* a pearl necklace and religious medal given by my grandmother
* wood goblets and other items made by my woodworking grandfather
* old photos, including a b/w of my dad when he was a kid sitting on the ground in his overalls with a little girl inside 2 huge rubber tires with a litter of kittens. Very cute. Other photos of my mother and grandmother, both very attractive when they were young.

Things i am very fond of:
* a recent acquisition, a black wall clock about 25 inches high; it doesn't chime, but i just really like its appearance; it has 2 small built-in shelves and only cost me $70.
* seashells i have found

[Ima saver]

My beautiful darling puppy, Holly.

[Lemony]

I don't consider pets material possessions; they're more like family.

I'm not really attached to anything in particular, but I gave my son a small bear when he was hospitalized at birth. He was born with a rare syndrome that no one could diagnose at first, so that bear represented something "knowable" for us. I'd hate to see the bear disappear, even thought many questions have been answered about our son's syndrome.

[markio26]

love letters from the forties, when my parents were newly married, maybe 3 years worth of love letters...
my mom's wedding band.
my parent's living room, dining room furniture.
my double bed, from when i was single and broke.
my grandma's cedar closet, which i had redone into my kitchen can closet.
old silver dollars, i bought for my parents with their birthday year, now, returned to me.
the 2 bank cd's i have, the money was inherited from my parents, both sets of grandparent's, and my 2 great aunt's. i treat it very carefully and invest it safely.

[sakigt]

- My car
- My notes from High School. Oh man those are fun reads (Notes as in notes passed after class, not the kind that had anything to do with school!)

[TBH]

* the story of my birth which my mother wrote for me about ten years ago
* notes from my friends in elementary school
* a picture drawn by my neice showing her family (herself, her brother, her parents and me--her auntie)
* birth announcement when my son was born (made by a friend who is an artist)
* first roll of film depicting labor and my son't first day of life
* many many precious books, such as the copy of Jonathan Livingston Seagull my father gave to his mother as a gift. I got it when she died.
* handmade toys and quilts made for me and for my son by my mother and other people
* hand-knit apple hat made for my son by a friend

And, less sentimental but still precious, my iBook.

[Ima saver]

A letter my father wrote to my mother when he was stationed in Germany in 1945.

[eisor]

Handmade ceramic doll my grandmother made for me. I never met her because she died 5 days after I was born. She was very ill, but she told my mother that she was going to live to see me. She died just hours after seeing the first pictures of me. My mom wanted to go visit her so she could see me in person, but my mother got very sick after she had me and had to remain in the hospital. But, my grandmother made the doll for me so I'd have something to remember her by.

[PRICEPLUS]

My fathers dog tag from the army. I have one and he is buried with the other.

[kealina]

it doesn't belong to me (i think my mom has it) but the quilt my sister made from my grandmas favorite silk shirts after she passed just brings back so many memories... she wore those shirts everywhere for years, most of my life in fact...
other than that i guess it's my photos and other small things that bring back memories...

[robex]

I have a ring from my Grandmother. She got it from her grandmother, who got it from hers. It was given to her by her husband on her 13th birthday and now goes to the oldest grandaughter on her 13th birthday. My Grandmother wore it for 50 years until I got it. She never took it off until then, and I'll wear it until I have a 13 year old grandaugher...which should be in about 20 years, give or take.

[Fern]

some very touching stories here, wow.

[Ima saver]

I guess I would grab my signature of Sherman, the guy who burned Atlanta!

[Tightwad Kitty]

My house and all it's stuff are full of memories to me. I am the third member of my family to own it, it was built by my mother's aunt 1951, do read 'Bridget's Petticoat' in my journal she was one of the daughter’s, some of the furnisher here are the original that came with her and are almost 100 years old. When you buy this house everything comes with it. Down to the sugar in the sugar bowl. (That’s one is a family joke if it’s a private in the family sale.) (You want it you clean it too!) It was built as retirement cottage with one bedroom now has three bedrooms but still one bathroom. I only need one

[elcheapo]

my wedding ring