It's not too early for custom Christmas ornaments

Like many families, we have a tradition of picking out special ornaments to add to our collection every year--one for each child and one for the family. Because these are the ornaments the kids will take with them to their own homes one day, we like to search for ones that are different and personal.

This year I have my eye on the unique handmade ornaments from Paloma's Nest. The entire 2009 holiday collection is actually quite tempting, but especially the personalized ornaments. I love the delicate ceramic bird with a wooden name tag, which I can picture hanging on my children's own trees years from now. Also the carefully shaped ring of reclaimed wood imprinted with the names of our family. We don't have any new babies in our families this year, but the tiny bowl stamped with a child's name and birth date is one of the more lovely and understated custom baby ornaments I've seen.

Holiday deadlines come up quickly for handmade items, particularly custom ones. So even though your mind may be busy planning for Thanksgiving, it's worth it to start thinking about handmade for the holidays now.

$14-52 at Paloma's Nest