Unique Christmas ornaments feature Oxford and Ole Miss

Published 6:00 am Sunday, November 29, 2015

It won’t be long until Santa comes, and many Oxford residents have already begun trimming their tree. For those who want to hang a little piece of Oxford from its branches, you can find a number of Oxford-themed Christmas ornaments around town.

Erin Briscoe, seen above, owner of Olive Juice Gifts at 305 S. Lamar Blvd., has a number of Oxford-themed ornaments to choose from, including some of the Double Decker bus, a red phone booth, pottery ornaments shaped like the state and hand-painted ornaments featuring Ole Miss themes.

“We have hand-painted ornaments that say ‘A house divided,” said Briscoe, describing a round ornament with a hand-painted Bulldog and Colonel Reb for couples who respectively attended the University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University.

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Follow Olive Juice’s Instagram account to see photographs of some of the ornaments they have for sale.

You can also find Oxford-themed ornaments at The Mustard Seed Antique Emporium at 1737 University Ave., where there were a number of wooden ornaments in the shape of the state with Oxford-related words on them and one glittery Colonel Reb ornament.

One is even painted with the Faulkner-credited quote “To understand the world, you must first understand a place like Mississippi.”

Ashley Wilkinson, manager of Oxford Floral at 1103 Jefferson Ave., said the store carries several Oxford-themed ornaments.

“I have a traditional phone booth,” she said. “I guess the rest of the ornaments would be more Ole Miss-themed. I have a black bear and a cheerleader.”

And at The Depot Antique Mall at 709 N Lamar Blvd., you’ll find wooden, belled ornaments with the words “Hotty Toddy” painted on it.

About LaReeca Rucker

LaReeca Rucker is a writer, reporter and adjunct journalism instructor at the University of Mississippi's Meek School of Journalism and New Media.

A veteran journalist with more than 20 years of experience, she spent a decade at the Gannett-owned Clarion-Ledger - Mississippi's largest daily newspaper - covering stories about crime, city government, civil rights, social justice, religion, art, culture and entertainment for the paper's print and web editions. She was also a USA Today contributor.

This year, she received a first place award from the Mississippi Press Association for “Best In-Depth Investigative Reporting.” The story written in 2014 for The Oxford Eagle chronicles the life of a young mother with two sons who have epilepsy, and details how she is patiently hoping legalized cannabis oil experimentation will lead to a cure for their disorder.

Her website is www.lareecarucker.com.

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