Hanging Memories on the Branches of Time

I was admiring the fall foliage on the way into the shop this morning when it occurred to me that in about ninety days, the first daffodil bulbs will start to push through the tough Carolina clay. Then I made myself stop thinking so far ahead and tried to be in the moment. Yet my mind quickly shifted again as I realized that Christmas is less than fifty days away. When I was a kid, fifty days felt like an eternity.

It has now been seven months since Mama passed. Time slips by quietly under our noses, and we forget how we made it from point A to point B in what feels like the blink of an eye. Yet, here we are.

As I prepared the Christmas trees in the store, my heart filled with memories of holidays past. Some are as vivid as yesterday, while others have faded into the distance. I do not usually get sentimental at Christmas because our tree at home is an eclectic mix of ornaments gathered through the years with our four kids. Many are handmade treasures from school or camp, mixed with the ornaments we have bought for them along the way. The only theme is that each ornament tells a piece of our children’s story.

Once I finished reflecting on our family tree at home, my attention turned back to the shop. The tree I placed outside the door at the top of the landing is one we used when we first became foster parents. Back then, we wanted soft ornaments so the little ones would not get hurt if they pulled something off the branches. That tree, while beautiful, never held much sentimental value at first. It was simply practical. We only used it for about three years before moving on to the tree we have now.

But as I unpacked that older tree this year, its meaning changed. The ornaments, the Moravian star, and even the worn branches reminded me of when our babies were small and still believed in Santa Claus. I smiled as Jon and I assembled it and shared our memories of those early years.

When I switched to the twelve-foot tree in the main showroom, I had to pause and collect myself. Each ornament I unwrapped carried a memory. These were the handblown glass ornaments I have collected since I was thirteen. Many were given as gifts, and others were purchased during every vacation I have taken since 1987. Mixed among them were ornaments from my grandmother’s tree, which last stood in her living room on North Wall Street in Elkin during Christmas of 1998. That was the last year I decorated a tree for her before I moved away. I even found the final gift she ever gave me, a Winnie the Pooh ornament from the Disney Store at Hanes Mall. I had to take a step back and let the emotion pass before I could continue decorating.

I had not used those ornaments in years, having shifted my focus to making Christmas magical for my own children. But when the boys brought the boxes up from the basement, they also included Mama’s ornaments by mistake. Lifting that lid felt like opening a time capsule. Many of her ornaments were identical to mine, as Mama always got a kick out of copying everything I did, but others were ones we bought on the same trips. I could remember where each one came from and the story behind it.

I realized I was not just putting up Christmas trees. I was putting up memory trees. Every branch carried a piece of my life, from my grandmother’s 1950s glass ornaments to mementos from our most recent beach trip. Each one represents a chapter in my story.

I was blessed to grow up in a family that valued giving, love, and the joy of the season. I have done my best to pass that same spirit on to my children. Someday, these ornaments will belong to them, and I hope they will remember the stories behind each one. Our family will keep adding to the collection as we continue to grow, weaving new memories into the old.

Creating and sharing those moments together has always been part of who we are. Here at Pisgah Needleworks, we have carried that same tradition into our community, encouraging our friends and neighbors to embrace creativity and connection through handmade art.

Our Christmas Open House is this weekend, and we hope you will join us. Take a few moments to enjoy our trees. If an ornament catches your eye, ask me about it and I will tell you its story. With a little luck and a lot of love, you and your family can create lasting memories this holiday season too.