It’s easy to be a Scrooge at Christmas: it’s too commercial, there are so many places to go, so much to do, too many expectations…bla, bla, bla.
I feel the stress like anyone else, and don’t love the disorder that comes with getting the boxes of decorations out in the middle of the floor. But when the things are rearranged, colors switched from blue to red and green, boxes put away, I’m in love with the season.
The quilt exchange is our first order of business. The fall colored quilts get put away with the pumpkin decor and red and green textiles take their place. They may not all be in the exact same spots as they were last year, but they signify that change is coming.
I’ve posted photos of Christmas quilts before (links at the end of this post) but this chair in the stairwell features a quilt I’ve not written about: Christmas Chains. I quilted it on a longarm machine (not my normal way of doing things) with a holly leaf design in 2014.
Then the Santa collection comes out. As our collection has grown over the years, we have worked to make it more manageable. We now focus on the special ones given to us, a group Jim has painted, our Rowe collection, and those with stories to tell.
We’ve saved the hanging tree ornaments until last. The tree is lit, Christmas music is playing, and we unpack the memories.
Every ornament is filled with thoughts of times past. Maybe it’s the little red tricycle that has miraculously survived for 35 years. It’s so tiny and nearly invisible, it made it to the street on the tree several times. – but rescued before the recycling truck came!
The lights reflected in the shiny balls take me back to childhood – lying under the tree staring at the wonder of it all.
All our ornaments have memories attached. There’s a simple ball from Covington that brings back the magic of sleet beginning to fall at dusk as the courthouse clock was chiming 6 o’clock and we were heading for home.
There’s a Snoopy ornament my mother bought me when I played that character in a college production.
And a niece’s contribution of a ladder ornament – a reminder to her (and to me) of all the laughter associated with rolls of wallpaper hung by my mother and me.
Pieces made by friends: a wreath made from wool snippets, an elf that started as a light bulb, an ornament made using bits of blue lace and linen dyed when she came to visit me.
Jim has three very special ornaments: two hung on grandparents’ trees when his parents were children, one was on the tree when he was a little boy. And the Radko bagpiper reflects on his Scottish heritage.
As we unpack these cherished memories, the love and treasured moments of the past come flooding back and we bask in the fortune we have – at our age, we certainly miss some of the people from our past at this season – but we delight in the wonderful memories triggered by these pieces of metal, plastic, and wood. Isn’t that the spirit of the season? For us it is.
Here’s hoping your preparation for the holidays is as stress-free as possible, and filled with special memories of all your Christmases!
I’ve written about Christmas quilts before – if you are aching to see red and green quilts, check out these past posts:
Such a beautifully written post! Memories of when, why and who make for special emotions. Thank you for sharing yours!