Such joy this Christms!
Our Christmas Tree has become a source of inspiration for stortelling as it becomes more and more precious each year.
This year, our several Swedes shared their love for the Season with frosty santas and reindeer ornaments reminiscent of the icy northern clime which they left behind for a warmer Christmas in Jamaica.
Our first exchange actually took place at the end of November with Robert and Pam from Kingston, Ontario. Theirs was from their personal collection; a wooden ball made by Boone, a furniture maker in their city who makes Fred Flinstone-styled pieces. Manuela and Ian brought a collection of hand-strung beaded wreaths from a craft fair in Pourtsmouth, UK.
These add to pieces from Limoges in France, Bengal and other regions of India, Malaysia, Croatia, Italy, Dubai, from east to west coasts of the United States and Canada, Bermuda, antique pieces from Switzerland and West Mersea, England. Guests from Scotland, Turkey, Spain also exchanged their offerings with ours over the past years.
When my sons were very young, we made angels from yellow and white crepe paper with gold braids to add to our collection of crystal-cut ornaments and rows of white lights. Then, they wanted more colour, so we added red bows and strings of coloured lights. Our hand-made pieces told a story then, and were just as precious as our collection is today.
