Published: November 28, 2008 11:05 am            

Memories of Christmas hang from holiday trees

PRINCETON — Sandy Combs spends most of her days amid the sweet smell of roses and the free-flowing elegance of ribbon on rolls, but one of her most-cherished memories comes in the form of a cloth dove, cherished each Christmas despite a few tattered feathers.

“When my dad died, I got a dish garden that had that dove in it,” she recalled this week during a quiet moment at Roller Floral. “Dad’s been dead years, but I kept that dove. And I put it on the Christmas tree every year.”

A small smile on her face as she remembered the dove and the dad who inspired her love for it, Combs said the yellowing dove is among her favorite holiday decorations.

During a season when manufacturers continually roll out top trends and a new hue is declared the must-have color of Christmas each year, many local people said the holiday mainstays are still their favorites.

In fact, the ornaments don’t even have to adorn their homes, if they have meaning.

Barbie Folden said the best Christmas decorations she’s ever seen hang on the First Christian Church’s 18-foot Chrismon tree. The tree stands larger than life every holiday season, and Folden said it requires a crew of about eight or nine adult men just to put it in place inside the Straley Avenue church.

While the tree is essential, it’s the message it carries on each limb that warms her heart and keeps her faith strong.

“Each ornament represents the life of Christ. There’s a dove, a rose, a crown of thorns,” she said. “And, each one has meaning. The white lights even represent His life as a whole because he brought light to the world.”

Others agreed that Nativity sets that represent Jesus’s birth are the best way to honor the savior celebrated on Christmas.

Elouise Reed was among those decorators.

“It’s the real meaning of Christmas. It’s Jesus’s birthday, and that’s what we ought to celebrate,” she said.

Tamara Belton agreed, saying her Willow Tree Nativity set is the brightest part of her holiday decor. The fact that it was a gift from her mother only makes it more special.

Still other holiday enthusiasts see reflections of their childhood inside their favorite holiday pieces.

Adrienne Lock, of Bluefield, said a single blue ornament has come to embody her family Christmases and life in Philipsbug, Pa.

“Our family’s home was built to be exactly like a home in Colonial Williamsburg, and my mom was always committed to keeping everything in the house as authentically colonial as possible. That included the Christmas tree,” Lock explained. “The tree was decorated entirely in silver and white, except for this one blue ornament that always hung right in the center of the tree.”

While Lock’s mom commissioned most of the other ornaments from an artist who made them to her specifications, this one unusual blue ornament was bestowed a place of honor because it carried an imprint of the Williamsburg house just like the one in Pennsylvania. When it was hung, Lock said her mom always made sure that was the part that showed.

Even now, years after her mother’s death, Lock continues her colonial tradition by commissioning an ornament by the same artist who decorated her family tree throughout her childhood. One day, she too will have a family tradition on a tree in her living room.

While Lock’s favorite Christmas pieces remind her of her mom, some local moms’ said their most cherished ornaments are from their kids.

Tammy Akers said her favorites are homemade offerings her kids made in kindergarten, using school photos as centerpieces.

Others say decorations simply solidify experiences.

Braxton White said stockings symbolize Christmas best for him.

“We usually all opened them together, and it was the first thing we did on Christmas. So we were really excited,” he said. “One year, my Christmas stocking was filled with a big bunch of $1 bills. So, I felt a little like I was rich that Christmas.”

Sharon Hill prefers mistletoe.

“It leaves the field wide open,” she said, blushing just a bit around a big smile. “It gives you an excuse, and you don’t have to explain anything.”

For the younger crowd, whimsy wins out over tradition, according to a group of young actors gathered at Princeton Public Library this week.

Horses galloped into the lead among their favorites, as Kayla McKinney and Ary-an Graham excitedly announced they would like to see trees trimmed entirely in horse ornaments.

Hanna Davis preferred halls decked in Wizard of Oz paraphernalia and Webkinz, while Brenna Rausch still looked up to angels. Her best guardian has curly yellow hair topped in a halo, and her long, white dress sparkles. Rausch said she was a few years old now, but she would always be her favorite.

And, in a way, Will Lambert said candy suited his tastes best. Though it never decorated his home, he said the candy tossed out during Princeton’s Christmas Parade officially kicked off the Christmas season for him.

“I loved catching the candy at that parade. It was the best,” he said.

— Contact Tammie Toler at ttoler@ptonline.net.

        

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