My love for Margaret Furlong’s porcelain seashell ornaments began in the early 80’s when I picked up a boxed set of six seashell ornaments at a local Christmas shop in Ellicottville, NY, near my home town. Each delicate ornament is tied onto the Christmas tree with a small silk ribbon.

She would release new ornaments on a yearly basis until about 2020. I’m not sure when my last current purchase was, but I received many new ones each year from my family. They were/are not cheap, so I always appreciated the time, money, and effort my family put into making me smile with a new ornament each year. 

I also picked up two small vases and some heart-shaped ornaments over the year. This year, I re-discovered eBay and found a couple of other tea-themed ornaments. I don’t always put the ornaments out, mainly because they’re so small and get lost on our big Christmas tree. Displaying them on smaller, table-top trees gives them the gravitas I feel they require.

This year, I placed the small tree in a wooden crate filled with large pine cones, added some white lights, and used a wreath as the tree topper. Adding a simple plaid bow completed the simple design. The tree sits on a dresser in the bedroom where it’s usually the last thing I turn off at night.

The angel-seashell ornaments are really lovely and they’re always holding onto something unique and special. I have ones that are holding on to a watering can, Christmas wreath, teapot, teacup, flower, birdhouse, Christmas present, and a snowflake. There are also two different sizes. All these pieces have made the move to multiple apartments in NY and then to Maine 25 years ago without any breakage. 

According to the internet (where everything provided is the truth, right?) Margaret Furlong Design is still in business, but not producing new products. But there are certainly enough of those legacy items in circulation on other channels (eBay, Etsy, etc.) to keep them in business.

As I age, I find myself less inclined to collect more “stuff,” but there are certain items that bring me joy and make me want to display and use them more frequently. These beauties are treasured keepsakes.