The countdown is here.
Lists are written and wadded up in pockets. The television, radio and print
advertising seem to shout “Hurry up! Don’t miss out!” Even an organized person that
gets things done early can be swept up in the last chance hysteria that makes
us want to throw ourselves into the giant crazy mix and see what we are
missing. Some of us are dragging out luggage to make trips for family and fun.
But I hope today to remind you about a great travel tip you can enjoy right
now.
“Make time to travel down memory lane.”
For me, this happens every
year when I decorate our Christmas tree. My decorations are like my travel souvenirs,
I like to “earn” them. I like buying something in a place that we’ve visited
and then remembering that experience when I look at it. Travel decor is very
popular right now, and Hobby Lobby is loaded with cool stuff, but I’d rather
have something kinda ugly that has a story than something that matches from
Pier 1. That’s how our Christmas decorations look... a mishmash of all colors
and styles, and all have a story to tell. I make my cup of tea, open up the
boxes and dig through the recycled tissue paper and have my very own personalized
Hallmark Movie as I go down memory lane.
For my first tree in my
own place, my sweet friend Michelle made ceramic ornaments for a gift knowing
that I didn’t own any. Those starter years... the tree was so small and
scrawny, a few baubles was all that was needed.
There’s the mousetrap
that my family always looks for clipped to a branch. My first season performing
at The Kountry Kuzins Jamboree Show, I couldn’t bear to see all the popcorn
that was thrown away. I started taking it home and stringing it, great idea,
right? I had strands hanging on curtain rods for months, waiting to get the
tree up. I’d go in to admire my work and… who knew that popcorn shrinks? There
would be long bare threads, so I’d shove the popcorn down and make a new knot.
Nephew, Justin, a little guy at the time, was looking at my tree and asked,
“Aunt Patti, why is there a mouse in your Christmas tree?” Huh? Sure enough,
there was a mouse working his way down that popcorn string like a PacMan video
game, gobble, gobble, gobble. So, I set a trap in the tree, and caught not one
but two mice that year. Let me tell you, a dead mouse hanging off a limb, lit
by blinking bulbs says “Merry Christmas” like no other! Needless to say, it was
my first and last year for popcorn, but the trap goes up along with the dozen
or so mouse ornaments that my family thought I needed. What a memory.
Hopefully, many of us
have those homemade ornaments our kids have glittered and crafted. Bent pipe
cleaners, and Popsicle sticks and tiny photos make Christmas’s past in the
present. And that, my friends, is a gift.
I have ornaments from
trips that bring recollections of adventures and experiences. I’m always glad
when I’ve written the date on it because most of the time I’m surprised how
many years have gone by. Friends and family show up on our tree, as if knocking
on the door. You think I’m kidding, but who needs Hallmark when unwrapping Christmas
trinkets creates the same sentimental feelings?
It’s not too late to
take that stroll down memory lane.
Take the time to enjoy it for yourself, but
make sure your loved ones know the stories, too. The history behind items and
Christmas traditions will be part of a yard sale someday if we don’t walk
others down the path of appreciation. Enjoy your trip.
