They're my Gran's ornaments. She passed away earlier this year and her collection of baubles was the things I asked my Dad and Aunt to save.

We often travelled to my grandparents at Christmas time and I have vivid memories of my Gran's Christmas tree. It's ornaments were strange, foreign and precious. 

The depths of the large Cadbury tin they came to me in smells of my Gran and Pa's house. Ornaments, wrapped in tissue paper and printed paper napkins have, I imagine, survived the childhood years of my Dad and Aunt, and they'll now live here on our tree to be enjoyed by my family.

My Gran never spent a Christmas with my family and it meant many Christmases passed without me seeing her.

However, with our tree already up, I look at these new additions sitting among the riot of colour and tinsel - a far cry from my Gran's modest tree - and like to think we've finally welcomed her in.