When I was growing up in my parents' home, my twin sister and I would always race to hang what we called the "jeweled bird" ornament, a clay bird encrusted with tiny mosaic fragments of mirror. Bird ornaments have held a favored place on my tree since then. My parents even gave me my own version of a "jeweled bird" as a joke, but it's like a wind-up nightingale compared to the magnificence of the original jeweled bird.I've already inherited a fair number of ornaments that date back to my girlhood. When I unpack the ornament boxes, I find embroidered reindeer from our time in the Philippines, Beefeaters made from clothespins collected in England, Celtic crosses, brass ornaments engraved from 1982, and crystal angels that radiate light through their delicate curves.
Each year, there's at least one ornament that brings me to a complete halt. I sit silent for some time with that ornament in hand.
The year we were married, 2001, we took a picture together in front of our tree and stuck the photo in one of those "Our First Christmas Together" ornaments. That ornament became my Ornament-of-Silence this year. As I held it, I contemplated my bright cheeks, my foot-long blonde hair, so glossy and well-groomed in those pre-child days. My husband was equally young and shiny-faced, back then. Regarding that old picture, I felt neither nostalgia nor sadness for the passage of time. Instead, I felt honor. Honor for our years together and the many changes that have come to us, both internally and externally. Honor for surviving the rough times that we have already experienced, and gratitude for the good times.
Last year, we held a costumed Victorian Christmas party, and I wanted the ornaments on my tree to be as historically-authentic as possible. The Victorian tree looked very nice with its gilded walnuts, its pinecones, and its gingerbread men, but nothing can take the place of my ragtag collection of ornaments.
5 comments:
I'm glad that my husband and I don't have a "First Christmas Together" photograph ornament! The loss of our youthful glow from 1996 might cause more weeping than silence! Just kidding--K
Rosslyn, I always like to give handmade ornaments to people for Christmas; then every year when they take them out they can remember that time. What a beautiful post!
Last year I tried to hang a very precious item to me on our tree. My favorite thing at Christmas and Thanksgiving is pumpkin pie. The only problem was the Cool Whip kept sliding off the slice and landing on the wool sweater I bought my wife. The cat kept licking the Cool Whip off the sweater, which caused it to fray. The frayed fragments of sweater got swept into the corner near the air intake for our heater. The heater inhaled the sweater pieces, and caught fire. The house burned down and ruined the pie.
The holidays are a little stressful in my world...
I know, I probably shouldn't have ruined your well written post with my silly story, but I just can't help a little holiday mischief....
I love this - my favorite ornament on my parents tree was a mirrored ball. We have one that reminds me of it, but like you, it's nothing like the original. My husband and I pick an ornament every year and write the date on it... we seem to have a glass snowflake theme going, but they're all special and have memories attached!
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