Well, it goes on a tree for starters. Like a Christmas tree. But beyond brightening it up, an ornament can be quite a special object if it has some meaning attached to it. Like the ones above. These belong to my two daughters presented to them this Christmas. An annual event in our house where the both of them get one ornament each from their father and myself, this little tradition is so simple and yet so sweet!
The selection of the ornament of the year is typically one that represents to some degree something about that year. And this year, I thought these cookie trays with goodies on them truly captured the very frequent activity of baking that the both of them engaged in. They made every type of cookie, lots of different kind of brownies, and even the occasional cake! And it wasn’t just on weekends that they baked– they’d bake after-school on weekdays, and sometimes at midnight on the weekends!
So, here’s to the small and simple things like Christmas-tree ornaments that make up the years of our life. They’re small and inconsequential, but I daresay they hold the power to build memories, and to evoke them in each of us year after year when we take them out and put them up to adorn a tree in the dead of winter.
Merry Christmas, Everyone, and a Happy New Year! The show must go on!
Excellent reflection – the perfect wrap-up of your ornament series. I’ve probably said this before but I remember learning the word ‘cosmos’ in college Greek class and being amazed by its rich array of meanings. Not only does it refer to the universe, the order of the world, but the verb form also meant to decorate, to adorn, to give structure and order to something. Your reflection reminds me of how I started viewing ornaments differently after that – they give meaning and order and beauty to the season and somehow are a reflection of the cosmos.
You are so thoughtful in your reflection and analysis of this post which is actually five years old – well before I decided on doing a Christmas ornament countdown this year. Thank you for your very generous compliments and in the sharing of the etymology of the word cosmos. 😍