Happy New Year, Festive Friends!
After the rush of early December . . . . . the shopping, the wrapping, the decorating, the cooking, the entertaining, and especially the crafting . . . . . the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day always makes me feel as if I am lost in time. I don’t know what day of the week it is; I don’t know the date. I don’t have anywhere I have to be and no one is scheduled to come by.
One day this past week, I was enjoying my morning coffee and looking at the Christmas tree, remembering and reminiscing. As much as I love all of the beautiful pictures of themed trees on the internet, our tree does not have a formal theme. Instead, it is covered, floor to ceiling, with ornaments that we have collected for more than thirty-years. Some of the ornaments came from fancy Christmas shops. You know, the kind that are open all year long. Others were bought to commemorate vacations we have taken or at yard sales when we were just starting out or have been given to us as gifts along the way. We have gorgeous, fragile, expensive ornaments and we have simple, sturdy ornaments, bought on discount. Without a doubt, though, the ornaments that I love the most are ones made by our children.
Salt dough candy canes, paper mache mice (with cheese!), school pictures pasted to construction paper, beaded icicles on pipe cleaners, tin lids with nail holes punched through in the shape of stars . . . . each one a memory created with a child and revisited each year. As time has gone by, the ornaments have become a little worse for the wear, I’m afraid. The paper mache is a little crumbly in one spot. The construction paper edges are folded in places and faded in others. The memories, however, are as bright and clear as the eyes of the child on the day they brought their treasured creation home. Maybe our tree does have a theme, after all!
We have some great ornament kits planned for you this year, starting with our Santa Belly ornament. Not only is it adorable, but it is perfect for crafting with children! While they stuff the Belly, you can handle the cutting and hot glue duties. The ornaments come together quickly and are ready to hang on the tree immediately. Set aside an hour and make a memory that will last a lifetime!
All of us here at The Festive Fir, LLC, wish you and your family a happy, healthy and crafty 2022!