ornamental sentiments

Dean asked me recently what my favorite ornament is.  Wow, what a question.  I hadn’t really thought about it before, but when I did, all of my favorite ornaments are tied to a memory.  It was nice sharing them with him.  Here are my favorites:

Venetian Blue glass ornament from our trip to Venice in 2001 (a few weeks after September 11), for a friend’s wedding in Tuscany – I told Dean there were so many beautiful glass ornaments in the shop where we bought this that it was almost impossible to pick one;  the hollowed out and carved squash from Maui on our trip a year ago;

   

the clay Fetish Bear, bought in Taos because it was the name of our room at the Bed & Breakfast on our honeymoon there; a painted clay miniature bowl from Mexico (not really an ornament, but I couldn’t resist that year buying a bunch and giving some of them away as ornaments – it reminds me of all the little clay plates and bowls in Frida Kahlo’s kitchen);

   

the all-leather cowboy hat from a Christmas shop in San Antonio that I love visiting (my sister Rita also bought us our star tree-topper there) – plus it’s just so darn cool-looking; the pewter Faneuil Hall ornament that was purchased in Boston after Matthew and I were engaged there;

    

one of many woven straw ornaments from Panama (my birthplace) from my Granny’s collection – this type of ornament also adorned my family’s Christmas tree growing up, so it holds a dear memory for me; and finally, the olive wood Bethlehem ornament that I bought from a church craft sale here in Portland because all one-piece, and it’s just so simple.

   

By the way, his favorites are Winnie-the-Pooh, Humpty Dumpty, and Captain America (all Hallmark editions, given to him by my Aunt Carrie – she knows how to pick ‘em).  Fiona loves all of her Santas (also given by Aunt Carrie) – especially Santa in the boat and hot-air balloon. 

It was one of our best conversations in a while.  Aren’t ornaments the best?  I love unwrapping these ornaments every year, along with a flood of memories.