home + garden

Rita and Gobind Mohinani, Golden Valley

Favorite decoration: Their international Christmas tree (one of seven), decked with dolls from more than 50 countries. The tree "skirt" is actually a sweater, designed and knitted by Rita's mother, with a pattern of international flags. The treetopper is a peace dove perched on a miniature globe. "That's what it's all about," Rita said.

The back story: The dolls originally belonged to Rita's parents, who collected them during a three-month world cruise in 1962. Rita's mother bought a doll and a cookbook in every country they visited, and displayed the dolls in a case. But after she died in 1968, Rita decided to use them as holiday decorations, as a tribute to her mom. "I miss her. She always loved decorating for Christmas."

The memories: The matador doll from Spain reminds Rita of hiding in the bleachers during a bullfight because she couldn't bear to watch. The tiny doll from Andorra was chosen because it's a tiny country, she said. And there's no doll from Vietnam because the U.S. was at war at the time of her parents' trip.

Fun fact: That long-ago cruise also sparked the romance between Rita and Gobind. While in Hong Kong, Rita's parents ordered clothes from a custom tailor. The company later notified them that its rep (Gobind, a native of India) was coming to town. More clothes were ordered, and Rita made quite an impression. "I wanted to see her again, but I didn't know how to get her to come back," Gobind recalled. So he called her, telling her he'd forgotten to measure her sleeve length. Rita returned to finish the fitting, and Gobind asked her to lunch. They hit it off, and a few years later, his company got another order: sewing her gown for their wedding.

JENNIFER SCOTT, EDINA

Favorite decoration: A plastic figurine of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer she received as a gift from her grandmother when she was an infant. "It's his 43rd Christmas," Scott said. "I take him out every year. He reminds me of my Mema."

The back story: Rudolph has survived many mishaps but hasn't lost his bright pink cheeks or his squeak (when squeezed). "He's been chewed on by two different dogs," Scott recalled, pointing out his puncture wounds. "My little sister colored on him, and I remember being very upset." And once, when Scott was a toddler, Rudolph was abandoned in a Chicago grocery store. "I was hysterical," she said. "But we went back and found him."

The memories: As a child, Scott remembers looking at her beloved Rudolph and wondering who painted him. "I think he's adorable," she said. She still has the bed she made for the little reindeer when she was 11, using a cardboard box decorated with cut-up Christmas cards, and holiday napkins for bedding. "I always had to watch the 'Rudolph' Christmas TV special," she recalled. "I still do, with my kids" [ages 7 and 3].

Fun fact: Rudolph has a buddy, a Santa figurine, also a gift from Mema, owned by Scott's brother. "He's in Boston; they get together at Christmas," she said. And like Rudolph, Santa has survived a dog mauling. "One of his toes is chewed off."

LAURIE CHURCHILL, EDEN PRAIRIE

Favorite decoration: An Advent calendar she made in 1991 for her dying mother, and that she's used ever since for her own children, Abby, 18, and Drew, almost 17.

The back story: "My mom had been battling cancer for two years, and we knew she wouldn't be with us much longer," Laurie said. That last Christmas, "she didn't want any presents. She said, 'Let's just have the holiday together.'" Her mother was confined to a recliner, and Laurie wanted to brighten her remaining days. So she cut and glued felt to make 25 small "stockings," stapled them to a ribbon, and hung them on her mother's window. "Every day there was a little surprise: a packet of hot chocolate, a crossword puzzle, a picture of one of her grandchildren," Laurie recalled. "It gave her something to look forward to." After the holidays, Laurie's mother gave her a shoebox with the stockings inside and a note: "Now it's time to start your own traditions."

The memories: Christmas 1992, the first without her mother, was a sad and difficult holiday, Laurie recalled. But Drew was born a few days later. "He was our gift that year." Every year on Nov. 30, Laurie hangs the Advent stockings and puts in two small presents, one for her each of her children, to open on the mornings leading up to Christmas. "When they were small, it was a piece of candy. In the middle years, I made it a treasure hunt," she recalled. "Sometimes it was a note, like 'Tonight we'll play a game' or 'Tonight we'll watch a Christmas special.'" Now that her kids are teenagers, coming up with gifts is more challenging, she said. (Think iPhone cards, lottery tickets and dollar bills.) The ritual is "a link to my childhood home," Laurie said, and a link between her children and the grandmother they never got to know. "It's a holiday tradition, something passed down from Grandma that happens every year," Drew said. "I loved the treasure hunts."

Fun fact: The gift for Dec. 24 is always a Christmas ornament, sometimes with a note in the pocket saying, "Go find it on the tree," Laurie said.

DEBBIE WATEROUS, MINNETONKA

Favorite decoration: Her collection of colorful menorahs and dreidels that she displays every year to celebrate Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights.

The back story: Waterous grew up in a family with one traditional silver menorah, used to light the eight candles of Hanukkah as part of the holiday's nightly prayer ritual. But about 15 years ago, she started noticing more colorful and unusual menorahs. "I thought, 'Wow! There are so many pretty ones!'" she recalled. So she started acquiring them, "anywhere and everywhere I could find them," from Tiffany's to Home Goods. A friend brought her a dreidel (four-sided top) from Israel, so she started collecting those, as well. Now her collection ranges from elegant art glass pieces to whimsical ceramics. "We're always looking for something bright and fun," she said.

The memories: The collection includes the dreidels, made from plastic Perler beads, that her daughter, Paige, now a college student, created in kindergarten. Debbie also has dog and cat menorahs, each featuring a lineup of colorful canines and felines as the candleholders, in honor of their dog and former cat. The display is an annual tradition that Waterous' daughter and her friends associate with the holiday season, she said. "After all these years, the kids expect it. It's fun to have something you collect, put out and look forward to seeing."

Fun fact: Many pieces in her collection feature bright cobalt blue; blue and silver are the traditional colors of Hanukkah.

SUSAN BENFER, SAVAGE; BRENDA MCKEE, VADNAIS HEIGHTS; AND CHRISTINA TEETER, EDEN PRAIRIE

Favorite decoration: The ones they give to each other at their annual ornament exchange and holiday get-together, a tradition they've kept alive for a dozen years.

The back story: The ritual started when the three women were sharing a house in Minneapolis. Teeter was in graduate school and didn't have a lot of money to spend on presents, so they decided to give each other ornaments. "It started with three roommates not being able to buy expensive gifts," McKee said. "Now it's something I look forward to every year." The friends take turns hosting, and make an evening of it, catching up on each others' lives over wine and snacks. Time together is more precious than ever, now that the three live at opposite ends of the Twin Cities and all have busy lives, with demanding jobs and two children apiece. "Sometimes it's the only time we get together all year," Teeter said.

And husbands are not invited. "No. They have to baby-sit," she said.

The memories: When Benfer trims her tree each year, her family often asks who gave her which ornament and when. "Though I don't see my friends often, I know when I see those ornaments on my tree, I am reminded of them and our friendship," she said. Some years, the ornaments have had special meaning, such as the year McKee's brother was in the hospital following a serious car accident. "I gave angel ornaments that year. I was worried," she recalled.

Fun fact: McKee owes her holiday color palette to an ornament that Benfer once gave her. "It was hot pink and lime. I love those colors," she said. "It changed my whole decorating scheme."