Adieu

The first days of a new year usually hold a sadness for me.  Although I enjoy the freshness of the new beginning (hopefully with a fresh coat of snow on the ground), putting away all the holiday trimmings always tugs at my heart.

This year is particularly hard.  You see, for the past few years I have decorated our large tree in the living room in a rather elegant sophistication using only gold and crystal.   But this year I used every ornament that has made it way into my collection.  It was a very sentimental experience rediscovering them again ~ helping me remember the many gentle souls who have touched my life.

 

There are those very special ones that were made for me by my children ~ and those I made with my children.   I am lucky to have a few that hung on the trees from my own childhood ~ happy to have them still traveling with me.   I even have the Mr. and Mrs. Santa I bought as a child with my own money at

Hill's Department Store. 

Some were constructed by my parents and a couple of them even hung on my grandparents' trees long ago.   Others were gifts to commemorate milestones or adventures in my life ~ and of course those picked up at various art fairs over the years.  Each one holds a tender memory for me.

And one in particular even strikes me today as

an interesting piece of foreshadowing.

They will all be packed away in a few days,

waiting for me to rediscover them again next year. 

Nostalgia is definitely winning over

sophistication in my home these days.