#28: The Twelve Ornaments of Christmas
We all engage in our respective traditions during this time of year. Some people have a great feast on Christmas Day while others eat out. Some people put are “Star at the top” people while others have an angel adorning the tree’s zenith. Reader, something I’ve found to be true no matter how a tradition manifests is this: Christmas time allows us to reflect on the people in our lives and what they mean to us, even those no longer here.
For me, this reflection process begins as ornaments make the pilgrimage from box to branch. Along with making the tree look festive and pretty, many ornaments have symbolic meaning and a story to tell. Ornaments have the power to remind us of a fun trip or our first Christmas with a child. They even have the ability to make those no longer here a part of the holiday.
A few years ago, back when I had an Instagram account, I made twelve posts detailing the origin of some of my most prized Christmas ornaments. However, since that account’s deletion, their origin stories were extinguished. Below are twelve ornaments that represent twelve different stories. Reader, to know these ornaments is to know a little piece of me.
“The Twelve Ornaments of Christmas”
Ornament #1 – “The Mascot of Christmas”
As a mascot of Christmas, this Snoopy ornament was once the crown jewel of my older brother's Christmas tree. It was always my favorite one to look at on his tree, and after years of service to him, it was passed on to my tree. He, along with a Charlie Brown ornament, have been a staple on my tree ever since.
Ornament # 2 – “The Crescent Moon”
This sleepy crescent moon has been in my family since before I was born. He, along with several other hand-painted, wooden ornaments, were obtained by my parents during their first year as a married couple. Not having a ton of disposable income early on, they sat together and painted this ornament by hand. While he's moved on from their tree, he always has a place on mine.
Ornament #3 – “The Trials and Tribulations of The Snowman”
When you close your eyes and think of Frosty the Snowman, what do you see? The 1969 TV special? I always see this ornament. To tell you the truth, I can't remember a time when this ornament wasn't on my tree. I can't tell you his origin, I can only tell you what he's been through: Canine marks are strewn across his foam exterior; His original paper limbs were torn off long ago; My father repaired those limbs with duct-tape; And, his tree placement has mostly been in the back; out of sight. Today, he hangs proudly and visibly, with a smile. A true testament that just because you’re a little old and a little battered, doesn't mean you don't have value.
Ornament #4 – “The Christmas Destiny”
Let me tell you the effect Toy Story has on me: it makes me anthropomorphize everything. When I first saw it, it was November of '95; I was 10. That Christmas, the way I looked at ornaments forever changed. I believed that every ornament had a destiny: to have their moment to shine on the tree. Otherwise, they stayed in a box all year feeling bad. That's the origin of this ornament, or rather collection of ornaments. The mouse and two teddy bear ornaments are both broken, but I couldn't allow them to sit in a box all year long, with an unfulfilled destiny. I received a small Santa stocking and put its pouch to good use. Since their merger, Santa and his residents have stuck together through the years as a family, helping each other fulfill their Christmas destiny.
Ornament # 5 – “Love and Pokémon”
Time and the way I want to remember may have altered this origin. In 1999 I was in 8th grade, and the Pokémon craze was on the rise in the States. Anyone who knew me at that time knew Squirtle was my starter. Here's what happened next: I had a crush; she got me this dog tag; I kept it and put it on my tree that year. Why? Maybe in some unrealistic expectation, I thought one day we would put this on our tree. (Reader, to be 14!) Through the years, I've kept it. Not because her, but because it reminds me of playing Pokémon with my brother and friends; and because Squirtle is just so darn cute.
Ornament #6 – “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”
The Wizard of Oz is a classic; timeless, and so are these. Dorothy, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, and Tinman once took up residency on my great Uncle Tony's tree. I don't remember him much, just glimpses. However, I do remember that he loved Christmas and proudly put up a tree each year. When I was in third grade, I portrayed the Scarecrow in a class play and really got into the story. After the performance, my grandmother (Tony's sister) passed these ornaments onto me. Since then, they've been in my care and on my tree. While these three remain in my care, I've passed the Tinman onto someone important to me; hoping that she shares his origin with those important to her. With the loss of both my grandparents in the last year, these ornaments take on new meaning: holiday reminders of them.
Ornament #7 – “Creative Reminders”
Over 25 years ago, my dad took me and my younger brother to see the newly re-release of Star Wars. Since then, I’ve been hooked. Anyone who knows me knows my love for the saga, and it should be of no surprise that these ornaments have made my tree. These two droids don’t just represent the characters in the story. To me, Star Wars is so much more than just movies: it’s my motivation for creativity. C-3PO and R2-D2 are just a little holiday reminder of that.
Ornament #8 – “The End of the Line”
How does an ornament die? How do you decide when its time is up? These are the questions I think about when I see this ornament. The truth is: she’s old, very old, and I’m not really sure how many Christmases she has left in her. She’s spent time on so many trees in her life, but she’s withering away, literally disintegrating. Before that happens, Reader, I wanted you to see her. To see her raggedy hair; her nice smile; and her checkered shirt. To share her light before it goes out.
Ornament #9 – “A Heart”
Each year my Uncle Tony's Wizard of Oz ornaments are proudly displayed on my tree. However, one member is missing. In 2015, I saw my first graduating class. To this day, it’s one of the best things I've witnessed. To see a kid progress and to know you had hand in it was and is amazing. When it came time to say goodbye to that first class, I gave three of my most special students a parting gift. One of those students had such a tough exterior, but at the same time, a wonderful heart. She was my Tinman, and as a result, I passed the original ornament on to her. I spoke about this to my family at the time, and months later, at Christmas, my mother gave me a new Tinman ornament. It was honestly one of the most thoughtful gifts she's ever given to me.
Ornament #10 – “Rosie”
No one did Christmas quite like my Grandma Rosie. From her front yard to the inside of each room, her house was the North Pole of Howard Beach. Our yearly tradition centered around her Christmas Eve dinner, and there was a lot of it. In 2006, she and my grandfather packed everything up and moved to a smaller condo in Melville. Her collection of Christmas ornaments, trinkets, and knickknacks were either given to family members who wanted them or were lost to the moving gods. Out of everything, this Santa, his sleigh, and his reindeer is what I took. Every year, I was always drawn to it, and she'd let me borrow and play with it as a kid. While it’s too big to fit on the tree, Santa and his Reindeer are always right near it.
Ornament #11 – “Harrows”
The Dark Knight has and always will stand watch near the top of my tree. While he's the ornament closest to the star, he comes from very humble beginnings. I purchased him years ago from a bargain bin at Harrows in Lynbrook, NY. Harrows was Christmas Land in the winter and a pool supply store in the summer. It was covered from wall to wall with trees, lawn ornaments, and so much more. It's been closed for years, but there was not a Christmas of my youth where we didn't walk around the corner to visit the store.
Ornament #12 – “The Skier of Christmas”
He has no official name. No commercial attachment. No other ornament is quite like him; a true one of a kind and my favorite. When I look at him on my tree, I see the past, present, and future. He is a constant through all three. He helps me remember Christmas past, enjoy the present, and hope for a Merry Christmas in the years to come.
I hope these twelve ornaments and their stories, have inspired you to look at your own and wonder.
Thanks for reading.