December 8, 2008
Christmas memories among the clutter
My grandmother started making stuffed Christmas ornaments for me when my son was a baby. She made a dozen or so the first year. Every few years she would add a few more to our collection. She created her own patterns and used fabric and supplies that she had on hand, so each ornament is unique.
The Christmas horse is my favorite. It’s had a place of honor, front and center, on each tree I’ve decorated since that first year. The red bandana fabric was a perfect choice. His saddle was cut from a foam meat tray and stitched on with star sequins. I need to find some more of those and replace a few that have been lost over the years.
I think my grandmother liked the mice best. There were several in the original collection and others joined them later. I lost several of them to real mice and dampness when I lived in a tiny rental house and had only a dirt-floored garage for storage. After I started doing pest control she got a kick out of keeping my supplied with mice (perhaps because it’s hard to make cockroaches look cute.)
In the mid-eighties I had a bad fall in a warehouse I was servicing. My equipment gashed my leg as I fell, but the worst of it was a hard blow to the head. I had what I called “black headaches” for about a year afterwards. Grandma memorialized my accident with a bear festooned with appropriately placed bandages.
I’m still winnowing out things that aren’t worth taking with me when I move. Much of it goes into boxes for the garage sale I hope I’ll have time for and even more has gone out with the rubbish. Moving is helping me finally declutter my life, but some of my clutter is good stuff and will stay with me always. Grandma’s ornaments help me keep her memory close and remind me of the warmth and humor that defined her personality. They’re not clutter. They’re part of the fabric of my life.
[tags]Christmas ornaments, family, grandmothers, handcrafts, memories[/tags]
Posted by skeet @ 9:52 pm • Just stuff, Home & Family
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December 9th, 2008 at 3:04 am, Lisa Says:
Those are lovely!
December 9th, 2008 at 1:23 pm, Lee Says:
What a lovely way to remember someone who clearly meant a lot to you! (And you to her.)
December 10th, 2008 at 5:30 pm, Donna Says:
Ahhh, they are so cute. I have some home-made ornaments that are very special to me, too. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!!
December 11th, 2008 at 2:31 am, Anele Says:
What a precious thing to have! We lost a lot of ornaments in a basement flood when I was in 6th grade so I wish I had things like that.
December 11th, 2008 at 11:12 am, skeet Says:
Mahalo, Lisa. My grandmother loved doing handcrafts and I frequently got the benefit of her work/fun!
December 11th, 2008 at 11:14 am, skeet Says:
I have a lot of fond memories of my grandmother, Lee, but nostalgia seems stronger around the holiday times, don’t you think?
December 11th, 2008 at 11:15 am, skeet Says:
Happy holidays to you, too, Donna!
December 11th, 2008 at 11:16 am, skeet Says:
I’m sorry to hear that, Anele. It broke my heart when I lost some of Grandma’s ornaments, but she was with us long after that, so I still have many of them to remember her by.