changing traditions .. sort of

One of my favorite traditions during the holiday season is choosing a set of five (three kids + two parents) ornaments to add to the tree.  And we do this on Thanksgiving weekend when we are out and about shopping.  I look and look and look, sometimes for days, until something pops out and I get a feeling that this is the ornament for the year. Little tiny mugs with our names on them, red crystals, birth stone colored bobbles, crystal snowflakes, glass icecicles, paper mache stars.  There is no preconceived notion.  They just appear. 

This year was especially difficult as it is the first holiday season with just the kids and me in the home. Yesterday we took a day trip to a beautiful little tourist village about 90 minutes from our house. The sights and lights, sounds and smells, and holiday decor was just breathtaking. We had a really fun time walking the streets and going from store to store. I reminded the kids that I was looking for the annual set of Christmas tree ornaments, and was pretty disappointed when we were heading back to the car several hours later having found nothing. I felt a lump form in my throat and fought back the tears of grief. Then I saw a little outdoor stand that we had missed and decided to just take a peak. Nothing. As I started to walk away, my eyes glanced toward a little hidden partition next to the door with some small handmade ornaments. There they were. This year's ornaments. The tears came. And so did a smile. Peace signs. Exactly 4 of them. 

As I read about the artist and his crafts that I held in my hand, I could feel myself taking one more liberating step toward healing. Small metal sculptures made from copper and brass with a bright finish and sealed with a varnish to prevent tarnishing. Treated with a solution that is enhanced with exposure to weather, rain and sun. Each unique.