Sentimental Reasons

Sam, staring out the dining room window at his father, who was working in the backyard...

Quote of My Day

"Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose." ~From the television show The Wonder Years

My Happiness Today

My Christmas tree is up, lit and decorated. So far neither the cats or Sam have knocked it down or destroyed any ornaments. So as I write this post, I sit gazing at my beautiful artificial tree that was the source of much frustration, anger and introspection. Some things are worth it...

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On My Mind

Sentimentality. Memories. Are these things only women find precious? Getting out the holiday ornaments and decorating the tree always brings back fond memories of holidays when I was a child and people who are no longer with us. For example, I have a glass ornament that my grandmother on my mother's side, Grammy, gave me. My mother's handwriting is on the bottom, marking the year 1967 that Grammy gave me the ornament. And then there is an ornament from every vacation we ever took as a family. A wooden carved bear from our trip to Yellowstone. Martha and George Washington from a trip to Mt. Vernon. A sailboat from Hilton Head Island. A lobster from Maine. And of course there is my baby rattle, the rattle that was in the bouquet of flowers my father sent to my mother when I was born. These are all "top of the tree" ornaments. Now, what were once "back of the tree ornaments" on my parents' tree, are too precious to even put on my tree. the abstract, construction paper/yarn/crayone design I created at one of the Blackridge holiday parties. It is just about particles of dust at this point so it stays in the box. One thing my mother did which I am now doing for my boys is that each ornament given to me is marked and listed so I know who gave it to me or where it was from. My husband doesn't understand why these things are so important--why getting an ornament for each boy at Christmas every year is important to me and hopefully someday to them. Ornaments are a way of preserving memories. This year Sam's ornament was a motorcycle. There was quite a tantrum when I hung it on the tree for him because he is too little to understand that this isn't a motorcycle that he can play with and push around the kitchen floor. So right there, is a memory. When he is older and we hang that motorcycle on our tree or when he hangs it on his tree with his family and kids, the story of the night we gave it to him can be told. When I thought we would never have children I began getting an ornament every year for each pet. So I have quite a few cat ornaments and black labs and german shepards on my tree. This year when I hung Emma's ornament--she is my cat that died a few years ago--I remembered her and it felt good, not sad. And every year when I hang my baby rattle on the tree I miss seeing my sister's rattle hanging right next to mine like they always used to on my parent's tree. So the holidays are a time of sentimentality for me, a time to remember people, places and things. Men don't get that. And I don't know why it is that men don't get that. I've saved every card my husband ever gave me--birthday, Valentines, Mother's Day, etc. I look at them. Sometimes I cry because I come across a card he gave me after we had a fight. He always buys me cards that make me cry. So if he can do that--buy me sentimental cards that make me cry--why can't he be sentimental himself? Why doesn't he care about the ornaments on the tree that I began collecting when we were married? Our ornament from Charleston, SC was our first. We have others but he could care less. These things just don't bring meaning to him. So one wish I have for my sons is that they will be sentimental and appreciate the memories, the things that bring back the memories--the odds and ends in their lives that give them pause and an opportunity to reflect upon the people who have touched them in some way, even people they may not even remember.

Funny Video of the Day...

Quite a few men featured in this video that probably appreciate their holiday ornaments...