Christmas 1959. The first Christmas after I married. We were both college students, living in old Army barracks convereted to married student housing. No money. We waited until the last minute to buy a tree from an almost empty lot - the smallest tree left. We bought two boxes with a dozen tiny colored glass balls - I'm sure at the time they were less than $1 a box. And we splurged on one box of lovely and fragile glass ornaments - I believe there were originally eight in the box. We didn't even have lights on that tree.
After 51 years, the tiny glass balls that have survived decorate a tiny artificial tree to brighten a small corner.
I don't put the fragile ornaments on the tree anymore- I lay them out in a shallow bowl. In my heart they represent the new beginnings and boundless hopes of those tender years. There are five left including the tree top ornament and my personal favorite - the teapot - although I also like the horn ....and the bell....
I must admit, I almost always shed a few tears when I unpack these precious memories!
Oh Kay - those ornaments are lovely - and your post is just as beautiful! Thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel about those "special ornaments" - the process of opening up my ornament boxes and hanging them on the tree unfolds more than 30 years of memories for me and, if I'm not in the Christmas mood when I start, I certainly am by the time we finish decorating the tree! You're right - the teapot is just exquisite.
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