The Museum of Science and Industry’s Christmas Around the World exhibit is as much a Chicago holiday tradition as it is a celebration of cultural Christmas traditions. Browsing trees this year I got to thinking about the stories we tell through the ornaments and decorations we place on our tree.

Growing up, decorating our family Christmas tree was always a special event. Every ornament was unveiled by the owner and it’s origin story retold, often through laughter.

If you were to visit my home and ask about the ornaments on my tree, you’d be treated to a collection of space stories that spanned the years my husband and I have been together, working to cover the space industry. Our ornaments tell our story, the traditions we celebrate that have inevitably been shaped by the our love and passion for space.

These are some of my favorites ornaments and the space stories they commemorate.

The Asteroid Bennu Ornament

This is actually a squishy stress ball that I turned into an ornament. It was given to me during the OSIRIS-REx launch. That launch turned out to be super amazing and magical for both personal and astronomical reasons. On the way to grab lunch I got engaged! Looking back, so many launches and missions are also tied to personal milestones.

The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse Ornament

I still get a good chuckle out of this ornament every time I see it on the tree. While covering NASA’s Ascent Abort test launch a colleague shared a funny story with me. Legend has it a space photog of time gone by fixed his camera on the lighthouse instead of the launchpad. The next day I spotted this ornament in a gift shop and I knew I had to have it.

That test launch was really something, and will probably be the only time I ever witness anything like it.

The Alamo Ornament

Another ornament with a space story behind the travel story. On the way to NASA JPL for the InSight landing event we stopped at The Alamo in San Antonio. This was supposed to be an epic road trip west over the holiday, with stops planned on the way and visits with family and friends. But our car rental company overbooked, struck out at rental company after rental company, and days passed and then snow fell before we got on the road.

Almost everything but the working to cover the landing and quick visits with family was cancelled or not possible. Seriously, the Alamo was closed, it was snowing at the Grand Canyon, no time to swing by Meteor Crater anymore, we made it to the coast in time to “see” the Pacific Ocean at night, and the same for Griffith Observatory so we still need to do all those things. But it was still fun and exciting and an adventure together we shared that I laugh about now when I see this hanging on my tree.

The Rocket Ornament

A family member gifted me this rocket ornament this year. I love that my family and friends love my love for space enough to pick out special items like this for me. Whenever I see this rocket ornament I’ll remember that love.

Also, 2021 was a first when it comes to rockets…as in the first year I didn’t get to see one launch. This shall pass, I know it will.

The Orion Ornament

Another squishy turned ornament. I actually have several of these from different events, but this one was given to me when I attended an engine test at NASA Stennis.

If you’ve never felt the rumble of a rocket engine, it’s an entire body experience that I doubt can be replicated. I was reminded of what I felt watching STS-135 take off from the launchpad and felt that power again when SpaceX launch a Falcon Heavy.

The Sputnik Ornament

I made this ornament to commemorate a stop on a space themed road trip I took. Three hours north of Chicago, in the town of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Sputnik IV came crashing down in a blaze of fire. It was September, 1962. There is a metal ring in the middle of the street marking the spot and a small display in a house museum nearby. Cool story, cute town, and they have an entire festival dedicated to the event, Sputnikfest.

I took a little creative license commemorating this specific event because Sputnik I and not Sputnik IV looked like this.

The Cernan Ornament

I don’t think most realize how many ties Chicago has to space and astronauts, and the Cernan Earth and Space Center helps tell one of those stories. Located in River Grove, about twenty minutes from downtown Chicago, Cernan is a planetarium attached to Triton College just down the street from where Apollo astronaut Gene Cernan grew up. They are also in possession of a nice collection of Apollo, Cernan, and rocketry items that are worth a trip out to see.

I recently went back to Cernan, haven’t been since my childhood, to take a look at the exhibits.

The Astronaut Snoopy Ornament

I wanted this Astronaut Snoopy ornament back when Hallmark came out with the collection, but I missed out. Then the Charles Schulz Museum put together a traveling exhibit, To the Moon: Snoopy Soars with NASA, in 2019. Because of COVID we didn’t get to see it until earlier this year when it came to the suburbs of Chicago- I wrote about it, HERE.

I mentioned that I was on the hunt for astronaut Snoopy to a family member that is something of a collectibles finder and bam! We found one thirty minutes later. The exhibit is headed to Albuquerque, NM and future museum stops are announced HERE.

The Mackinac Island Ornament

Going to Mac has been on my bucket list forever! And I bought this ornament to commemorate a special road trip north to view the partial solar eclipse that occurred over the summer. It was a sunrise eclipse, and we watched from the banks of Lake Huron as it rose next to Mackinac Island- which we later explored and decided that the Island deserves a dedicated trip!

The Castillo San Marcos Ornament

Another launch related travel ornament! We made a last minute decision to drive out to Kennedy Space Center for Crew Demo-2. I had absolutely no plans or reservations in place, just knew I wanted to stay in the car and away from people as much as possible (Crew Demo-2 was in May 2020).

And then the launch scrubbed, so we had three days free to figure out and fill. We worked on creating content, but also took some time to do some safe distance outdoor sightseeing. Walked the beaches, hiked a state park, and drove up to St. Augustine to see Castillo San Marcos…..which was closed. And if you haven’t already noticed a pattern, we have a workcation problem.

Visit Christmas Around the World at MSI

The Christmas Around the World exhibit is open at the Museum of Science and Industry until January 3rd. You can view ticket prices, hours, and information HERE.

The single Christmas ornament I found on a tree. The tree of Slovakia dedicated an ornament to Ivan Getting, son of Slovak immigrants, who developed GPS and worked for Raytheon and Northrop.