The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Everyone has their holiday favorites. Whether it's a story you read every year, a song, or a maybe a TV special, good old favorites are a standard at our house during the holidays.

And one of my old favorites is The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson.

It's a short book and the plot isn't very complicated, but it's one of my favorite things to reread during this time of year. The book tells the story of your average Christmas pageant, but there's one thing about this particular pageant that makes it very special. This year the Herdman family have decided to participate. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but the Herdmans are "non church" people and are generally the ragamuffin terrors of the town. But they bully their way into the play and then into the lead roles, determined to find out what the big deal about this pageant thing is anyway. The results are full of hilarious moments, but in the end is quite a heartwarming story about the true meaning of Christmas (aren't all good Christmas stories?).

It'd been a few years since I'd read it, and last year my brother happened to pull it off the shelf (he'd never read it before). He thought it looked like a stupid book, and the rest of my family proceeded to tell him otherwise. When he still looked skeptical, our family sat down and proceeded to read it aloud. We turned on one of those fireplace DVDs and each took turns reading a chapter. We got about halfway through before we crashed. The next night was Christmas Eve, so we spent time finishing reading the book aloud right before going to bed for the night. It's one of my fondest Christmas memories, all of us gathered around reading from this little book.

The Ninth Day of Christmas Contest

Welcome to Day 9 of the 2010 The 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway-A-Day. We've only got a few days left, can you bleieve it? These days have flown by. If you haven't already, make sure you've reviewed the rules so you know how to play the game.

Today's prize features one of my favorite winter things: hot chocolate. Oh, and Disney too. So I guess two favorite things. :) I brought back from Walt Disney World some special Disney hot chocolate. Not only do they come in these cute little tins, but the hot chocolate itself actually is the color of the tin. The winner from today's post will be able to choose between Sorcerer Blue (Mickey), Rock N Roll Red (Stitch), or Galactic Green (Buzz Lightyear). Or, the winner can choose to trade today's prize in at a chance for a different prize in our game of Holiday Let's Make A Deal starting December 20th.

To enter today's contest, tell me which book this cover clip belongs to:

Very appropriate that this cover should land on Day 9, which is the traditional day of "9 Ladies Dancing". And I didn't even plan it that way. :)

Fill out the form below for your chance to win. If you're not sure of the cover and would like to enter anyway, then you have the option of also using one of your two Wild Cards for today's contest. This contest will be open until December 19th at midnight and is open internationally.

The Eighth Day of Christmas Contest

This is going up a little later than I wanted it to, but welcome to Day 8 of the 2010 The 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway-A-Day. If you haven't already, make sure you've reviewed the rules so you know how to play the game.

In honor of today's post about my family tradition of doing a puzzle during Christmastime, today's prize is a puzzle! Now, since I know that not everyone is super great at puzzles, so these ones are easy. At only 24 pieces, these mini puzzles are ones that anyone can do, and they have such cute little Christmas pictures on them too. They're also double sided, so if you're a puzzle afficando liek me, that will give you a little more of a challenge. :) Today's winner will get to pick two puzzles from those featured in the picture on the right. Or they can choose to trade in their puzzles for a chance at a mystery prize in our game of Holiday Let's Make A Deal starting December 20th.

To enter today's contest, tell me which book this cover clip belongs to:

Enter your answer in the form below and you're in! If you're not sure which cover this is but you'd like to enter for today's prize anyway, you can choose to use one of your two wild cards. If anyone needs to know how many wilds they've used, let me know. This contest will be open until December 19th at midnight and is open internationally.

Family Tradtion: Christmas Puzzle

One of my favorite hobbies (besides reading of course) is doing jigsaw puzzles. I (sort of) collect them, and I think I'm up to around 40 now. And I'm sure my love of puzzles partly comes from this family tradition.

For many years growing up, our family would get a puzzle from Santa for Christmas. Usually a snow covered scene or a panoramic landscape, or an artist my mom loved. But even though the pictures were usually more "adult" than kid-friendly, my family would all gather round the kitchen table either that evening or a day or two later and work on the puzzle. We'd get the border all assembled and then each take a little piece of the picture to work on until a day or two later it was all completed. Some years we were good enough to get it done in one day, but if we had a particularly hard puzzle it would linger around a little longer.

Putting together the puzzle itself is fun, but it's more than that. It's the ability to come together as a family and do something we all enjoy. Sometimes we talk, and sometimes we are just silent and enjoy each other's company. My brother and I usually get into a competition of some sort, but I usually win. I'm the undisputed "puzzle queen" in our family. But it was nice to do it for Christmas, since we kids didn't have school, so occasionally we'd get to stay up a little bit past our normal bedtime in order to finish.

One year we went to my grandparents for New Year's and introduced the tradition to them. Grandma likes to put in her one piece and then move on to something else, like a "I contributed my bit, now I'm moving on" kind of thing. Grandpa doesn't really like puzzles that much, but it drives him CRAZY to leave one sitting on the table overnight unfinished. Usually we start them in the evening, so he will sometimes stay up for hours trying to finish the puzzle. Sometimes we come downstairs in the morning to find it's complete, but sometimes not. I remember one year he'd been up for like 4 hours and I came downstairs in the morning and went plunk, plunk, plunk and unknowingly sunk three pieces he had been looking for all night (after looking at the puzzle for about 5 minutes). After I did that he decided he better take a break before he threw the whole puzzle off the table. :)

The Seventh Day of Christmas Contest

Welcome to Day 7 of the 2010 The 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway-A-Day. If you haven't already, make sure you've reviewed the rules so you know how to play the game. After yesterday we're now officially halfway through the giveaways, and halfway closer to Holiday Let's Make A Deal!


Today's prize is a great one for those of you who love to write. It's a spiral bound Mary Engelbreit notebook/journal. It has a yellow plaid cover with a cute little black Scottie dog with a Christmas wreath and says "Merry Christmas" at the bottom. There are 80 lined pages inside. Isn't this adorable? I love it. The person who wins this prize will have the option of either keeping it, or trading it in for a chance at a different mystery prized during Holiday Let's Make A Deal starting December 20th.

To enter today's contest, tell me which book this cover clip belongs to:

Just enter your answer in the form below for your chance to win. If you aren't sure what cover this is (this one is a little difficult) then you can use one of your two Wild Cards to still enter for today's prize. This contest will be open until December 19th at midnight and is open internationally.

The Sixth Day of Christmas Contest

Today is Day 6 of the 2010 The 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway-A-Day. If you haven't already, make sure you've reviewed the rules so you know how to play the game.

We're moving away from book prizes for today. The winner of today's contest will get a set of 3 mini flower magnets. They're made of rubber, about 1 inch in diameter and super cute. There's a pink flower, a purple flower, and a blue flower included in the set. I have some of these hanging on my magnetic board by my desk and I love them. Or the winner can choose to trade this prize in for a mystery prize during our game of Holiday Let's Make A Deal starting December 20th.

To enter today's contest, tell me which book this cover clip belongs to:

Enter your answer into the form below. If you aren't sure and want to enter anyway, you can use one of your two Wild Cards. Contest is open until December 19th at midnight, and open internationally.

Poetry Friday: Baby What You Goin' To Be?

So last year I posted Christmas carol lyrics on Poetry Friday for the month of December. I had a lot of fun with it, so I've decided to do it again. In fact, I was going to do it last Friday too and I completely forgot. (haha)

So the song I have running through my head is "Baby What You Goin' To Be?" by Natalie Sleeth. This is one of the songs we're singing for our Christmas choir in my church, and it's beautiful.

Here are the lyrics, although it's kind of hard to type them like this because the song is layered between the four parts (soprano, alto, tenor and bass) so the melody keeps changing voices.

"Baby What You Goin' To Be?" by Natalie Sleeth

Baby, Lying in a manger, slumbering so sweetly,
Whatcha gonna be?
Baby all the world is watchin',
all the world awaits to see,
what will you be?
Baby sleeping in a stable, underneath the heavens,
whatcha gonna say?
Baby, did you bring the Good News?
Did you come to light our way?

Oh, look, see the cattle asleep, see the shepherds beside,
See the Wise Men, they bow unto you.
Are you the one who was meant to be Master?
To bring in the Kingdom too?
Alleluia
Baby, Hope of all the people,
what you come to do here?
What you come to say?
Baby, can you be the Savior?
Come to save the world one day?
Baby lying in a manger,
will you save the world one day?


And since you can't really get a good idea of how pretty this music is without hearing it, here's the best YouTube video I could find with it. This actually has three songs sung by this choir, but this one is the first one shown.

The Fifth Day of Christmas Contest

It's Day 5 of the 2010 The 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway-A-Day. If you haven't already, make sure you've reviewed the rules so you know how to play the game.

Since this series of contests is inspired by the 12 Days of Christmas carol, I thought today's prize would be fun to include. It's a gently used paperback copy of The Twelve Days of Christmas by Regina Scott. I started reading this after Christmas last year, and it's a very cute historical Christmas romance. The winner for today's contest will have the choice to either keep this prize, or trade it in for a different mystery prize in our game of Holiday Let's Make A Deal.

To enter today's contest, tell me which book this cover clip belongs to:

Enter your answer into the form below. If you aren't sure and want to enter anyway, you can use one of your two Wild Cards. Contest is open until December 19th at midnight, and open internationally.




About the Book (from Goodreads.com): "Genevieve Munroe was the toast of the ton until her father's death left the family destitute. Now she's hoping for one last happy Yuletide at Wenwood Abbey and a season of peace with their ever-feuding neighbors, the Pentercasts. But Gen's good will is strained when Squire Alan Pentercast, the object of her secret tendre, proposes a bold Christmas wager, with her hand in marriage as his prize."

Guest Post: Christmas Traditions

I'm a little busy today cleaning house to get it ready for my mom's birthday, so I didn't have time to post today. But never fear! I will not let you down. Andrea of Loud Words and Sounds has valiantly agreed to step in and take over the Christmas posting for today. She's got a great post today about her family's traditions. So read, enjoy, and don't forget to give her blog a visit too!
-Alyssa

Hi everyone! I want to thank Alyssa first for allowing me to introduce you to my Christmas traditions!

Before I even start I need to say one thing: I'm part Italian. This will play a big part in the following. As many think Italians, they thing big and loud families. Well my family is part that, were pretty big once you count in my second cousins, aunts and uncles. And were loud when all the people are assembled (especially the boys).

But ANYWAY, I'm here to tell you of my Christmas traditions!

Well they were completely different when I was younger. Then I used to sing in the children's choir at church and was the angel in the manger once. But two traditions that haven't stopped are my Grandmother's 7 fish Christmas Eve Dinner and my Mom's Ravioli Christmas Dinner.

The 7 Fish dinner might not have exactly seven fish dishes, but I know it has about that. And I know what I love about it. 1- There's Mozzarella sticks, I never get to eat these things! 2- My Uncle's Seven seas Bisque, I love it! 3-Cookies and pies ummmm! (My mom and Grandmom are great pastry bakers!) 4- Eating all the shrimp I want! (I don't really eat any of the other fish). 5-There's also pasta and well if I could live off of pasta, then I would. The only thing I won't touch is the calamari, squid just doesn't really appeal to me like pasta.

So that's the dinner part of Christmas Eve, once we come home my siblings and I exchange our gifts to each other. When we were younger that meant cheap things, but we all thought it was cool, until it broke. And then by about 10 or 11 o'clock we go to bed. And wait for "Santa" to put out the presents.

Here comes the bad part. My brother coming in my room either screaming its Christmas or shaking and jumping on my bed to wake me up. This is NOT pleasant. I can always count on this though.

But, like the little kids in us we still run down stairs and open up our presents. I typically get books, cds, and clarinet stuff. While my other siblings get random things. My sister especially gets American Girl stuff because she has 6 of them ("collector items" she says). And after everything is unwrapped and our dog has jumped all over in the wrapping paper we clean up and put our things in our rooms. And start to get ready for the rest of the family to come over.

Now this Ravioli Dinner, starts days and weeks before. My mom makes everything! She doesn't buy anything that's premade. She makes the Ravioli's by hand, and it usually takes a day to do this. And then she and my sister make a ton of cookies, for friends and family. Plus there's also another thing I can't remember the name of, but it has steak and mozzarella cheese and eggs in it (anyone know what it is?), and it's rolled up. Oh and don't forget the meatballs. Yup, all these things are handmade and are DELICIOUS! I love cheese Ravioli's their my favorite that my mom makes, I'll eat 10 just because it's really the only time I get to eat em.

That's about it for my Christmas traditions. So What does your family do for Christmas?

Merry Christmas!
and Happy Festive Times!

The Fourth Day of Christmas Contest

Welcome to Day 4 of the 2010 The 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway-A-Day!If you haven't already, make sure you've reviewed the rules so you know how to play the game.

Today is my mom's birthday, so today's prize is influenced by that. I have a brand new hardcover copy of The Incredible Truth about Mothers by Bradley Trevor Greive to give away. This would make a great gift to any Moms out there, and those of you who are Moms will enjoy this one. The winner of this item also has the option to trade it in for a chance to win other prizes during our game of Holiday Let's Make A Deal.

To enter today's contest, tell me which book this cover clip belongs to:

Did I mention my mom also loves cupcakes? :) Enter your answer into the form below. If you aren't sure and want to enter anyway, you can use one of your two Wild Cards. Contest is open until December 19th at midnight, and open internationally.




About the Book (from Amazon.com): "Motherhood is the world's most demanding - and rewarding - job. It's a calling that comes with incredible highs and gut-wrenching lows. How to express both the joys and challenges inherent in parenting the next generation in a way that is guaranteed to leave your audience smiling with tears in their eyes? Leave it to the one and only Bradley Trevor Greive. In this moving and yet often side-splittingly funny homage to mothers everywhere, the best-selling author has masterfully paired his insightful prose with humorous animal photography that quickly and succinctly sums up his narrative's loving nuances. A mother tiger nuzzling her cub. A basset hound with an ice bag on her head. All are fodder and focus for BTG's unique wit and wisdom. From birth to toddlers to teenagers, The Incredible Truth about Mothers covers the many stops and starts children make on their journey to adulthood and describes how devoted mothers are both teacher and student."

The Third Day of Christmas Contest

Welcome to Day 3 of the 2010 The 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway-A-Day!If you haven't already, make sure you've reviewed the rules so you know how to play the game.

The winner of today's contest is playing for a spot in our game of Holiday Let's Make A Deal, or you can choose to keep today's prize instead. Today you're playing for a gently used hardback copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul Christmas Treasury: Holiday Stories to Warm the Heart.

To enter today's contest, tell me which book this cover clip belongs to:

Enter your answer into the form below. If you don't know and still want to enter for today, you can use one of your two Wild Cards. Remember, you only get two to use during all 12 days (and I am keeping track!). Contest is open until December 19th at midnight, and open internationally.



About the Book (from Amazon.com): "Chicken Soup for the Soul Christmas Treasury captures the holiday spirit through an extensive story collection that demonstrates the humor, profound joy, and spiritedness that envelops the holiday season known as Christmas.

Join popular humorist Dave Barry, bestselling author Robert Fulghum, renowned author and lecturer Joan Wester Anderson, among many others, as they recount the special moments that lend to the magic and joy of the holiday celebration."

Christmas Stories

There's just something about reading and Christmas that goes hand in hand. Maybe it's the cold and wintery weather, maybe it's the spirit of the season, maybe it's something else. I'm not really sure myself, but I know one of my favorite things to do during Christmas is read Christmas stories.

So what's a Christmas story? Well, there's a movie called A Christmas Story, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about short stories that in some way revolve around Christmas. Some are secular (think more like the Nutcracker) and some are more religious. But they all have that special sparkle that warms your heart during this time of year.

I think my fascination started with the storybook advent calender I mentioned yesterday. My aunt made it for us, and there was a Christmas themed story or poem to read for each night counting down to Christmas Eve. I loved that book, and I'm kind of sad I can't find it anymore.

There isn't really one specific anthology of Christmas stories out there that's better than another. Last year I reviewed Mary Englebreit's Believe: A Christmas Treasury, which is a good general book to have. And there's lots of others out there too if you just look around.

This year I'm reading Chicken Soup for the Soul Christmas Treasury: Holiday Stories to Warm the Heart. I loved the Chicken Soup books when I was growing up, but this is one I had never tried before. Yeah, the stories can get kind of cliche and predictable, but it's part of what makes them charming. And they give you lots of warm fuzzies, which is always a good think at the end of a long day.

So how about you? Do you have a favorite Christmas story you like to read?

Advent Calenders

As Christmas gets closer and closer, it's almost like you can feel the change around you. I love counting down the days until Christmas, which is probably why I've always loved advent calenders.

Take a minute to google "advent calender" and you'll find out pretty quickly that there are a whole range of shapes and styles these things can come in. But the basic idea is the same. It's to count down the days of the month until that magical day of Christmas Eve.

The earliest countdown I can remember from the time I was in preschool were construction paper chains. Does anyone else remember making those? You'd take 24 strips of construction paper and then loop and glue them together to form a chain. Then each day you could take off one loop, meaning you were one day closer to Christmas. Having the attention span of preschooler, I'd usually diligently count down for about a week, and then forget to remove any loops until the 22nd or so.

When I got a little older, we always had those generic paper advent calenders. It would have a cliche little holiday scene printed on it and then 24 little perforated doors. Each day you opened up the door for that day to find a tiny little chocolate candy inside. A few years after my brother was born we stopped getting these kind anymore. Being normal siblings we always fought over who would get to open the door (and thus get the chocolate). It usually ended with Dad opening the door and eating the chocolate himself so neither of us could have it. Which, of course, lead to temper tantrums and lots of tears. Not very Christmas-y. So it isn't surprising that Mom stopped bringing these home after a year or two of that.

When I was about 10 my aunt made me a wooden advent calender for my Christmas present that year. It was a lot like this one, only instead of ornaments to hang on the pegs, there were little wooden light bulbs that had the day's number painted on them. I liked my little calender, although I got tired of it after awhile. It was nice, but to a 10-year-old, the light bulb thing got old after about a week (kind of like the paper chains). I'm sorry to say I no longer know where it is. I strongly suspect it was pulled out of the garage and donated to the thrift store when I went to college.

One year another one of my aunts made us a Christmas storybook. She gathered together a 24 different Christmas stories and poems and arranged them all nice in sheet protectors in the cute little Christmas binder. The idea was that you would gather together as a family each night to read one of the stories, with the Christmas story from Luke 2 being the last one (for Christmas Eve). This too seems to have mysteriously been eaten by our garage, but the one year we used that binder was one of my favorites.

I've taken a similar approach to use as my advent calender this year. While looking for prizes for last year's A Shady Glade Christmas I came across a book called The Autobiography of Santa Claus by Jeff Guinn. It sounded interesting and I ordered it, but unfortunately it got here too late last year.

So I decided to give it a try this year. There's 24 chapters in the book and the idea is that you read one chapter for each night in December, so that you finish the book on Christmas Eve. I'm really liking it so far, although the hardest part is trying not to read ahead, since the chapters are only a few pages long and a lot of time I want to know what happens! Although it's technically written for adults, I can see this easily being read aloud as a family tradition at Christmastime.

So whatever form they take, advent calenders are a longstanding holiday tradition at our house. After all, getting to Christmas is half of the fun of the Christmas season.

The Second Day of Christmas Contest

Welcome to Day 2 of the 2010 The 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway-A-Day!If you haven't already, make sure you've reviewed the rules so you know how to play the game.

Today's prize is a bottle of Dark Divine nail polish. The winner will either keep it or trade it for a (possibly) bigger mystery prize in our game of Holiday Let's Make A Deal. Each day you enter gets you a better chance of winning!

To enter today's contest, tell me which book this cover clip belongs to:
Enter your answer into the form below. If you don't know and still want to enter for today, you can use one of your two Wild Cards. Remember, you only get two to use during all 12 days. Contest is open until December 19th at midnight, and open internationally.



Today prize is a bottle of The Dark Divine nail polish. This lovely fushia purple shade is made match the cover of The Dark Divine by Bree Despain. Now you can paint your toes just like the model on the cover. Neat!

The First Day of Christmas Contest

It's time to start the 2010 version of The 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway-A-Day! If you haven't already, make sure you've reviewed the rules so you know how to play the game.

Today's prize is a gently used paperback copy of Secret Santa by Sabrina James. The winner of this prize will have the choice of keeping it, or trading it in for one of my mystery prizes (which includes a box of upcoming ARCs and books) starting after December 20th in our game of Holiday Let's Make A Deal.

To enter, tell me which book this cover clip belongs to:

Enter your answer into the form below. If you don't know and still want to enter, you can use one of your two Wild Cards for today. Contest is open until December 19th at midnight, and open internationally.



About the Book (from Amazon.com): "A game of Secret Santa has everybody guessing. Presents? Kisses? Maybe both.

Noelle, a hopeless romantic, just knows that her gifts have to be from her senior crush! And geeky Froggy thinks the game is the perfect way to get super-popular Celia to fall for him...except she thinks his gifts are from Jake, the school's resident bad boy, and starts to crush on him! Romantic mishaps abound, but all is revealed the night of the Winter Dance, where there's more than one surprise waiting under the mistletoe! "

Rules for 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway-A-Day 2010

Now that this year's A Shady Glade Christmas is well underway, it's time for contests! Last year I introduced a contest I called the 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway-A-Day. I'm happy to announce it is back this year. But we're going to do it a little differently. This year the theme is "Holiday Let's Make a Deal".


How to Play:

Every day for the next 12 days (Dec 6 through Dec 17) I'll be posting a new contest. Each day will feature a small clip from a book cover. To enter, identify what book cover has been posted for that day. Extra entries are also available (see below).

Each person will have the chance to use 2 Wild Cards. These can be used for a contest where you don't know the answer, but want to enter anyway. Choose wisely though, since you only will get 2!


Prizes:

Each contest will feature a prize of some sort assigned to that day. At the end of the contest period (Dec 19 at midnight) winners will be chosen from among each day's entries.

Once a winner has been declared, they have a chance to play Holiday Let's Make A Deal. Each of the 12 winners will have a chance to either keep the prize they won on their day, or trade up for a mystery prize.

If you've ever seen the game show Let's Make A Deal, you kind of know how this goes. Winners can either trade their prize to pick a box from the list with a new mystery prize, or keep the one they've already won. Some of the mystery prizes will be big, and some will be more silly, but you won't know what you've got until after you've made your decision.

I won't give away all the mystery prizes (that would ruin the fun) but I will reveal two of them. There will be two big boxes of ARCs and other miscellaneous books. One for YA books, and one for younger (more middle grade) titles. Each will include at least 6 books and possibly more if I get lots of participation. The books included are a surprise, but let's just say I have quite a few 2011 ARCs hanging around right now looking for new homes...


Extra Entries:

You can gain extra entries into any contest by doing the following:
+5 (one time) for submitting a guest post
+1 (for each contest) for grabbing the A Shady Glade Christmas button. You can find it in the right sidebar.
+1 for posting about the contests (sidebar, blog, twitter, etc.)
+1 for following

Other Miscellaneous Rules:

Because of the time-sensitive nature of the game (I'd like to mail the prizes before Christmas if possible), winners will be expected to respond within 24 hours to claim prizes or new winners will be chosen. So make sure you check back on Monday, December 20th to see if you won. Otherwise you may loose your chance to win big.

Contests are open internationally unless otherwise specified.

Winners will be notified by email and will need to reply with their mailing address in order to win prizes.


And that's about it. Good luck to everyone, and come back tomorrow to let the winning begin!

Guest Post: Holiday Heirlooms

Today I'm pleased to announce the very first guest post for A Shady Glade Christmas. This post comes from Erica of Soon Remembered Tales. Make sure you head over to her blog to check it out. So without any further delay, take it away Erica!
-Alyssa

Aside from New Years and Valentine's Day I am a fan of holidays. St. Patrick's Day? The Fourth of July? Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving? I love them all and I go all out. I have stories for each holiday and a growing excitement as they near. But Christmas... Christmas is my favorite. While I decorate for all of the holidays my Christmas decorations have a different level of importance. I am obsessed with the history of my family. I'm fascinated by where we as a group of people have come from and I find anything that has been passed down is all the more special. So each year on the night of Thanksgiving I decorate my room. I bring out of storage the two foot Christmas tree that sits in my window and the box of decorations I've accumulated. That box is one of my most precious possessions and holds four generations of Christmas celebrations.

An important addition to my tree are the glass ornaments my Grandmother had bought for the Christmas trees of my mothers childhood. The glass is thin and the paint of the ornaments speckled and faded. But to me they are the most beautiful glass ornaments I have seen. The Christmas lights give them a certain glow that you can't find from the plastic ornaments on sale today. They're double my age and made of such breakable material and yet they've endured a move from New Jersey to Florida. From Florida to New York. And finally from New York to Pennsylvania. Hopefully they'll last even longer. I dream of the day that I'll have my own place, my own tree, and I can decorate it with these ornaments.

The tree also features trinkets of my mother and I. Ornaments my parents had prior to my arrival and ornaments given to me fill up the remaining spaces. I didn't go to a store and buy a bunch of ornaments because I needed to fill the tree. I have been building a collection since childhood and every ornament has a story attached to it. Every one has a memory. Whether it's an ornament purchased over 50 years ago or one given to me by a beloved dance teacher. Some are mementos from trips to different places, but they all- no matter what- have a story.


My great grandparents came from Sicily when they were only in their teens. While one left Sicily by sneaking onto a ship during a disease outbreak the other was relatively alone and without family. They both passed through Ellis Island, they both worked their butts off in New York City prior to the first World War, and they both made a life for themselves. They fascinate me. Unfortunately they both passed away before I was born but through stories and photos I feel as if I knew them personally. The most important item I have in my box of decorations is three wooden carvings. Lightly painted with precision the wooden objects are Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus. They traveled from Germany where they were made at the site of the Passion Plays. My grandparents bought 18 sets of these three figurines so that all 18 grandchildren(my mother, etc) would have these special items. My mother, having a large nativity scene that her father build her, has bought an assortment of nativity figurines to use and has therefore bequeathed me of the Passion Play Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

They are much more than Christmas tree decorations. Through them you can learn the history of four generations of women and countless moments in my own life. Through them we've developed a series of heirlooms all because we originally wanted to decorate a tree in order to celebrate a holiday. I will surely be passing these ornaments along to my own children.

-Erica
Soon Remembered Tales