Mother’s handmade decorations made Christmas special

If you want to stir up some memories, the holidays are a great time to do it. I was so blessed that my holidays were always filled with love and family. The other day I opened a box of Christmas decorations and memories that took me on a creative journey to a long-ago place and time.

Carefully packed away in the confines of the box was a small wall hanging that my mother made more years ago than I can remember. I’m sure it was from a kit she purchased, but she proudly claimed to have put it together with her own hands. I carefully unwrapped it from the tissue and held it in my hands.

The Christmas-themed wall hanging is made with pieces of felt. Dominant in the scene is a large red-brick fireplace with each brick clearly indicated by mortar made of tiny sequins and sewn on beads. It is festively decorated with a mantel clock and greenery complete with red velvet bows and three colored stockings.

What makes it so special is Mother chose it because it reminded her of me. In the scene sits a small, blond-haired boy warming himself in front of the fireplace. He’s wearing light blue pajamas. The part Mother always loved about the pajamas is that they don’t quite meet in the back and expose part of the boy’s little felt flesh-colored hinny.

Every year when Mother unpacked the wall hanging she pointed out the pajama issue with a little giggle. The colorful wall hanging is still attached to the same wooden dowel it was when I was a little boy. One finial is missing from the end of the dowel and a few stitches have released, but I am thrilled it now belongs to me.

Holding something that once belonged to someone who is longer with us has magical powers that warm our souls and fill our hearts with love. That’s what this wall hanging does for me each Christmas. It provides a wonderful feeling that always makes me smile. It is like a much needed hug.

While I unpacked the rest of the box, I traveled back in time to visit with some of the Christmases from my past. Memory after memory joined forces to take me back to other holiday themed creations Mother made by hand. She always wanted our Christmas to be special even if we were on a tight budget.

I swear I heard a low and booming “Ho, ho, ho” from just thinking about a ceramic Santa Claus my mother made many years ago. I don’t know what became of him but I sure wish I still had him. Plump and jolly, with a bright smile, he stood complete with a red suit lined with white fur and shiny black boots. Beside him was a large empty brown-colored bag. For all my growing up years, each year we put the Christmas cards we received in his bag.

Always sitting very near to Santa was a Christmas tree that Mother also made out of ceramics. It was covered in dark green glaze and flocked with textured white “snow.” Holes were drilled to insert tiny plastic, colorful lights. We knew as children not to play anywhere near it because we aware of the money and effort Mother put into making it.

I also remember a Christmas tree-shaped serving piece Mother made. Covered in a food-safe glaze, it was divided into three sections. Christmas didn’t go by without some sort of holiday get-together at our home and this tree gladly offered its services to proudly hold cheese straws, mixed nuts or other holiday themed treats.

It is amazing how seeing a treasure can propel you back through decades inviting other memories to join you on the trip. Thanks to this simple felt wall hanging featuring a blond haired little boy, I was able to revisit some of my childhood Christmases. Those precious memories are all still there tucked away in my mind. They are just waiting on an invitation to come forward. I always love inviting them.

MORE WITH MARK

Visit Mark and Santa Claus at Double C Christmas Tree Farm, 2830 Ga. 83 S. in Forsyth (five miles south of the hospital at corner of Hopewell Road and Ga. 83 S.) from noon-3 p.m. Saturday. Mark will have all his holiday merchandise for your gift giving needs. Call 770-584-2312 for details.

This story was originally published December 2, 2016 at 12:31 PM with the headline "Mother’s handmade decorations made Christmas special."