Language isn’t always words —
it’s far more complicated;
not everything in life
can be articulated.
That’s why the things of Christmas
assemble every year,
preserving time and place
we won’t let disappear.
Each family has a history,
hero, legend, fiend;
words fall short, but things
keep them evergreened.
There is nothing in this photo, dear reader, that doesn’t tell a story, including the chunk of mid-century furniture that belonged to my parents. Not everyone celebrates Christmas: I get that. But most people understand how things tell a story, and we probably all have at least one thing tucked away somewhere that says more than words alone can say.
For me to put into words everything said here would require an epic. There are things from my Grandma O’Hern’s house. From my sons’ childhoods. From my bachelor days. From friends, from family. Then to now.
Sometimes meaning is better told without words.
December 19, 2019 at 1:00 pm
I love this post, but then you knew I would. 🙂 I’m sitting here looking at a Santa tree topper that my grandparents gave me when I was five, a Snoopy and Woodstock Hallmark piece that plays music from my grandchildren’s toddler years, a tree made out of Mounted Patrol Horseshoes, a Santa I made in ceramics class years ago, a card a friend sent, and a piece of winter art a friend gave me. Yes, each has a story, has no financial value, but each one brings a smile. I hope your holiday is merry and bright and lasts right into 2020. 🙂
December 19, 2019 at 1:06 pm
Yes, exactly: your home is like mine, and our autobiographies are written in an amazing miscellany. It must mean we are amazing too! Speaking only for myself, I think maybe miscellaneous applies also. Thanks for the good wishes — the very same to you! May there be a quiet moment or two to visit with the people in those mementoes.
December 21, 2019 at 5:52 pm
Well said and presented so even I could understand what you are saying. Merry Christmas.
December 21, 2019 at 6:24 pm
Thank you! And a merry Christmas to you, too!
December 22, 2019 at 2:16 pm
I love your Christmas oddments, especially the two pairs towards the right that seem to echo each other. What are the stories of those ones?
December 22, 2019 at 2:37 pm
Thank you! Indeed “oddments” has seemed to fit me on so many levels! All of the figures on the old buffet are Nativity figures without Baby Jesus. The two sets on the right are a small glass Mary and Joseph of unremembered provenance, and a larger possibly clay Mary and Joseph that belonged to my Aunt Edna, and I wish I knew the story of those because they are intriguing. I keep the clay figures out year-round in memory of Edna and also because I like them.