Christmas is just around the corner and everyone is busy decorating their homes, wrapping gifts and doing preparations for the most awaited event of the year. One of the anticipated activities during the holidays is the placement of decorations, both inside and outside your homes. Some families placed lanterns outside their windows and doors, while others cut pine trees as their Christmas trees and adorn it with different types and designs of Christmas decorations and ornaments.
It is one special festival celebrated by different cultures and religion worldwide. As the holiday season nears, everyone, both young and adults, are excited to decorate their living room and outdoor space with different Christmas decorations in accordance with their creativeness and ingenuity. Amidst the excitement and joy of placing each decorative item on the Christmas, have you asked yourself of its origin? Have you asked yourself how important these ornaments are to your family? Have you asked your parents how vital it is to the family?
History of Christmas Decorations
Majority of the Christmas decorations we see in stores today evolved from different cultures such as the mistletoe, holly and ivy. When we see different decorative items in stores and in our respective Christmas trees, wonderful memories start to rush back to your minds. We start to reminisce the happiness, joy and excitement we experienced during childhood days. Tear drops start to fall in our eyes as we remember the memories of the past, wherein some of them are sad, while other are happy and worth remembering.
The tradition of hanging mistletoe in the doorways comes the Norse myth. According to history, hanging them in our doorways creates plots and diversions from friends by having a special kiss under the mistletoe. Meanwhile, the holly came from German tradition which was believed to bring good luck to the family.
Despite the beauty and grandiose of some Christmas decorations, there are stories to tell in each of these items. If only these ornaments can tell their stories, for sure, some of them will whisper about the horrific war in the land where they came from. Some of these items would probably impart the suffering of the country where they came from.
Some Christmas decorations of some families are inherited from their forefathers and they have their own stories to tell. As we open up the box containing these ornaments, we also retrieve the sweet and bitter memories associated with it.
Every year, when we go to our attic or basement to retrieve that precious box filled with Christmas tree decorations, we open up more than just things. We retrieve memories.
From "Baby's 1st Christmas" to the one that says "50 Years of Marriage," so many of the ornaments marked special occasions.
I'll bet your family could carefully unwrap each of your ornaments and tell the story of the little bulb's history.
The blue ones with the snowflakes on may bring you back to that first apartment you lived in. The ones with the stars remind you of that vacation day when you bought them downstate.
Then there are the ones that came from your parents and just touching them brings back fond memories.
Next come all of those glittery homemade ones from the kids when they were in grade school. That faded pasted penguin still makes you smile just as much today as it did back in 1969 when your son created it.
At my house, two of our favorite ornaments that go way up near the top of the tree (out of the reach of kids and cats) came from my husband's grandmother. Gramma-Great Lyida Wils lived to be 101 years old. Visiting her in her Rapid River house and seeing her Christmas tree was sure a treat.
My mom had some hand-me-down ornaments from her mom. The balalaika and golden samovar (Russian guitar and teapot) bring me back to my childhood early awaiting St. Nicholas.
Mom also had a very old icicle ornament made out of some gauzy material. My brother, Mark, always called it a white carrot just to make her mad.
My son, Robert, has a favorite fish-shaped tree ornament. Ellen's favorites are the fragile clay wildlife ornaments that we made a camp years ago.
It's time to get out your ornament box and let the stories flow.
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