Unpacking Memories One Ornament at a Time

The yearly ritual of getting a tree, fetching the boxes of ornaments from the attic, and winding the lights around and around is fun but what I really enjoy is unearthing each ornament and the memories it holds. 

My red and green boxes are filled to the brim with ornaments that have been collecting through the years.  My childhood love of rabbits reappears as I unwrap the tissue paper clad ornaments.  Memories of trips we’ve taken materialize in the form of a handmade fish ornament from Thailand, a bicycle found at a local street market in Brazil, and trinkets that were never really meant to be ornaments from elsewhere around the world.  I watch my kids grow before my eyes as I pluck out the frames with their photos and hang them on the tree.  Strong cardboard boxes hold the fragile vintage ornaments passed down to me from my parents that I recall hanging on our family tree as a child.

As we unwrap each ornament, each is like a little treasure.  Squeals of delight and shouts of “I remember this one” or “I always love how sparkly this one is” and questions like “Mom, where is my Statue of Liberty-Golden Gate Bridge-train ornament?” and "Do you remember when..." come as they pull their favorites from the boxes. 

It is my hope that as my children and collection of ornaments grows along with them, that each bauble on our tree will also be a nostalgic look back at the past.

Leticia is getting into the holiday spirit on her own Tech Savvy Mama site where she has published a series of holiday gift guides (with giveaways!) for everyone on your shopping list and wishes you all the best during this holiday season!