MY VIEW: Traditional holiday unpacking strengthens precious memories

The stacked heavy duty storage boxes towered over my short little self until around my 10th Christmas season when I finally hit a growth spurt. The hefty boxes were filled with ornaments of all colors, shapes and sizes. An immeasurable amount of nostalgic memories are released as each one is carefully taken out and placed on the evergreen’s branches each year.

Decorating the family Christmas tree has always been one of my favorite parts of ringing in the holidays. Due to my mother’s all-year-long allergies, we have never actually gone and picked a freshly cut tree, but allergen-free, artificial trees suffice and are just as merry.

The beyond-trimmed-to-perfection-themed Christmas trees are lovely, but they aren’t nearly as vibrant or fun as branches brimming with variety. My family has ornaments galore, yet we continue to build the collection of remembrances.

The handcrafted are the most humorous in our assortment of Christmas embellishments. From glass ornaments swirled with paint or fabric to a stuffed glove with the face of Santa Claus himself attached, the elementary child-made ornaments keep my family laughing.

The gifted ornaments are always a special sight. Whether they were received out of thanksgiving or from a silly gift exchange holiday party, they bring a smile to my family’s faces and remind us of the blessings we find in friendships.

When I was younger, I was forbidden to touch the fragile ones packed tightly in a cardboard box stuffed with bubble wrap for fear the precious glass would shatter every piece of our past.

“Oh, this one is a very special and breakable ornament! Why don’t we let Daddy hang this one?” my mom would always gently suggest to my sisters and me.

My sisters and I have an annual tradition where we each get to pick out our own individual ornament some time during the year to add to the tree come Christmas. I have ornaments of purple nail polish, sparkly ice cream, initials, crosses, ballerinas and nutcrackers stored up from my 16-year wonderful life.

My favorite ornaments are the ones purchased during family vacations because the make us reminisce about road trip after road trip, museum after museum, adventure after adventure, and memories full of laughter and joy. Our Christmas tree is so full of vacation ornaments, my mom has hopes of one day having a new “travel tree” set aside for travel ornaments only. Whether it one is silver in the shape of Mickey ears from DisneyWorld or a simple keychain from a popular tourist site, ornaments gained over years of vacations will forever hold dear places in my heart and on my family tree.

Even though the boxes of memories must unfortunately be packed up and placed back in the storage shed each year, looking forward to decorating our artificial evergreen always seems to brighten my spirits and put me in the holiday cheer.

Nostalgia is good for one’s soul, especially this Christmas lover’s soul. Regardless of a famous carol’s lyrics, the branches aren’t the loveliest part of a Christmas tree. That honor belongs with the excitement of a holiday and the joy of revisiting never-changing memories remembered by my family at the beginning of the Christmas season each year.