The best Christmas decorations are the ones that have stories to tell. They bring back memories of special years and special people. Some old ornaments made from beaded glass strung together into objects and shapes may have adorned someone’s childhood Christmas trees.
Christmas Memories
Some of the ornaments have dates and names scrawled on paper or plastic with glue and glitter; others have dates and names scratched in silver or clay. Clay Christmas bells and farolitas decorated in earth colors remind a family of a trip to a far away place. Brightly colored fish ornaments are souvenirs from another special place.
A clothespin reindeer, a ragged, hand-painted bell, and a tiny train with candles make family members think of the children who gave them. A needlepoint Santa in a round wooden frame is the result of a friend’s labor of love, and a large white crab, inscribed Thanksgiving 1992 reminds someone why that year was special.
Three small wooden frames that hang from the branches of one tree hold photos of a couple’s grandchildren. A large white ball with the words “Christmas 1978…Home Is Where the Light of Love Shines Brightest” occupies a prominent perch on the tree. An assortment of bird nests, pine cones, and shiny balls that were picked up hurriedly one year at a discount store conceal any bare spots.
Families Enjoy Collecting Christmas Treasures
Long ropes of gold tinsel and strings of red and green beads wrap around a tree that has lights of different colors. Some of the lights blink, some stay on all the time, and some stay off all the time. The ones that stay off all the time are on a long string that is wadded up and stuffed out of sight near the center of the tree.
Someone carefully takes the tissue off the nativity scene and puts each figure in its place. It was a gift from the children’s grandparents when they were small. A faded blue cardboard angel that once belonged to a favorite aunt occupies a special place on the mantel, and a Santa Claus mug reminds a family member of a childhood friend.
Young families enjoy starting their own collections of Christmas ornaments. A Frosty the Snowman ornament commemorating Baby’s First Christmas and a beaded green alligator representing the mascot for a football team are among the decorations that one couple is collecting. Childish works of art, gifts from friends and relatives, and mementos from travels will add to their collection of stories and memories.
Designer Christmas Trees Don’t Bring Back Memories
Some Christmas trees have all white lights, or all red or blue or green lights. All of the ornaments are alike on these designer trees. The orrnaments may all be ribbons, bows, or stars. The lights and ornaments are perfectly spaced, and if the tree has ribbons, the ribbons have been ironed and draped gracefully on the tree branches.
These trees are lovely, and people enjoy looking at them, but designer trees don’t tell stories or bring back memories. Only the Christmas trees that wear ornaments that have been carefully collected and preserved through the years have stories to tell and memories to share. Those are the best trees for families. As families place their decorations on the tree, on the mantel, and throughout their home, their thoughts fill with the memories of other Christmases, other times and places.
