Christmas Down-Under
Every night, I take a journey back to the present.
For the last 13 years I have been given 'certain' latitude, much guarded latitude, to decorate our basement retreat for Christmas. Our world 'down-under.' In addition to special Christmas decorations, this room includes a little of who we are and our life's journey. Mind you, everything you are about to see must pass inspection. To me it is a beautiful journey... back to the present.
Please join me.
This is my (actually our basement) Christmas tree, which holds ornaments from the 1950's to 2005. Unlike our living room tree, it has multicolored lights, like the ones I grew up with, and is full of special ornaments. There is not an ornament on this tree that Sandra could not tell its history.
The 'topper," I made it in a tinsmith class at Fort New Salem, in Salem West Virginia in 1985.
The simple white Styrofoam ball is from our first Christmas tree as a couple. It was all we could afford.
Sandra made these cross-stitch ornaments. There are several on the tree depicting many important events and memories in our life together.
These constantly remind us of our beloved sheep. We raised many over the years, with Sandra taking their wool, spinning it into yarn and turning the yarn into blankets, coverlets, scarves, sweaters, and hats.
I made this tin angel in my tinsmith class. To the left is another of Sandra's cross-stitch ornaments.
This ornament was on my Christmas tree when I was a child in 1955. A handful have survived me and years in my mother's attic.
One of Sandra's favorite teapot ornaments. It was given to her by one of her students from middle school.
For six years, Sandra was the office manager at Larkspur Middle School - 2,400 students (grades 6-8). This was given to her by one of the assistant principals.
.
These beeswax ornaments came from Fort New Salem. Sandra and her mother attended a tree lighting - many years ago.
My father gave me this ornament a few weeks before he passed away in 1999. It is of mine, and his high school - Washington Irving in Clarksburg, West Virginia.
The Canadian geese remind us of the many days and nights we would stand on our back porch in Virginia and watch the flocks of 100's pass overhead on their way to Back Bay to feed.
And this one brings back the wonderful days fishing with dad on the West Fork River and trout fishing with my Uncle Jess.
More of Sandra's incredible needle work - her crocheted stars - done years ago. And in the background, a testimonial for my enjoyment of all things 'hot."
The most recent addition to our collection of memory-ornaments was sent to us by a slightly 'crazy,' but incredibly talented friend from Virginia Beach - Anne. Sandra worked with her for years and I spent most of my adult life trying to 'best her' but always failed. The ornament is a small glass jar filled with 'Pungo Air." We lived in the Pungo section of Virginia Beach and breathed the sweet smelling air of this agricultural community for 23 years. Adding to the creativity of the ornament is the disclaimer attached. Thank you Anne. You will always have a special place in our lives and on our down-under Christmas tree.
Now, let's walk around this special Christmas room and see what other memory-treasures we can find. Above the fireplace is a special clock. It was given to my grandparents as a house warming gift from a tiny store Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. To the right is an oil lamp which once lit my great aunt's farm house. The lithograph above the clock was done by Herb Jones. It always reminded me of my family farm in Pennsylvania and the many abandoned farms in West Virginia - quiet today but speaks of family and happiness from the past. To the left is the praying Santa I gave Sandra when we were newlyweds. I always place the candle above the manger - it is my bright star. The sleigh bells, from Sandra, remind me of the music of bells around a horse's neck as it clip clops down a country road. The lava lamps beside the clock were from Sandra - which bring me back to the 1960's. My-o-my, what a decade.
One of my two lava lamps, swirling to the 60's. Up close and personal. I can still hear Iron Butterfly.
Sandra's collection of snowmen and 'snowgirls' sit proudly on our antique tulip-back oak rocker. We both "Still believe." When I stop believing it is time for me to stop.
On top of the cabinet housing my entertainment equipment are pieces from my original nativity scene, which my mother and I (as a small child) set up each Christmas. Like me, they show their age- missing some hair, chipped paint, and a little bent. But ooh, the Christmas stories they could tell. They saw us when we were young and watched as grow old(er).
On the table beside my chair, a porcelain Santa sits beside the fireplace - a gift from Sandra. Even his boots are porcelain. The pine cone is from a giant sequoia, a present from my grandfather, brought back from a trip to the far north west. The reindeer is ready to spring into action at Santa's command. The bible, it was given to me by my parents when I was confirmed.
On one corner of the fireplace hangs two extra special stockings. Sandra made the one on the left from my great grandfathers pillow. The one on the right, came from my grandparents bed. All from the family farm in Greene County Pennsylvania.
In our corner cabinet is more of Sandra's snowmen collections. The Clydesdale team was a present from Sandra. I once stood in the barn where some of these mammoth horses are kept. They are truly majestic creatures.
The antique clocks hangs behind my chair. It once hung in Sandra's grandfather's (Robert Ogden) general store in Enterprise West Virginia. It still keeps perfect time. Look closely! In the bottom left corner is a metal WWI horse- soldier my father-in-law, Lester Ogden, played with as a child.
In one corner is a table holding an electrified oil lamp. The shade was hand-cut by an artisan in North Carolina. The phone, which still works, came from my childhood home on Liberty Avenue in Clarksburg, West Virginia. The doll, it once sat on top of a box of candy I gave my mother when I was 11 years old. She kept everything. The picture is of my mother at the family graveyard at Christmas a few years ago.
On the floor beneath my television is my HO Scale train set, which dates back to 1959. I found it in my mother's attic after she passed away. Perfectly preserved and still runs. When I saw it running for the first time in 58 years, I giggled inside like I was 10.
Yes, our Christmas world (down-under) is very special. It tells a story from when we were children, taking us to where we are now. As I look around this room I cannot only see 'specialness,' I can feel presence. All the people and places we loved. It provides so much togetherness.
It takes us back to 1952. And, it reminds us of how quickly the years pass.
AND...this special room (down-under) also brings us to the present.
