One Christmas season past, I found myself with time to spare and a shortage of ornaments for my tree. Since I was also experiencing a shortage of cash, I resolved to make some ornaments myself. I turned to my bookshelf, flipped through a recipe/craft/Christmas book, and found what I was looking for: instructions for baked dough ornaments. I mixed, kneaded, cut, baked, and painted. When I had finished, feeling creative and productive, I proudly hung my new ornaments on the tree. And was promptly met with derisive laughter.
My homemade Christmas ornaments have been a running joke in my family ever since. Admittedly, they are . . . mediocre. No matter. I hang them on the tree faithfully every Christmas, while patiently explaining that my love for them has little to do with the ornaments themselves. Instead, I love them for the happiness and memories they evoke.
And so it is that this Halloween, I'll anticipate a new round of commentary. Because I've created a first collection of Halloween tree ornaments using the same tried and true method of years past. And come October, I'll patiently explain that it's not the ornaments themselves that I adore. It's the love of Halloween that is a part of each one of them. And if they continue laughing, I'll replace the miniature chocolate bars in their treat bags with raisins.
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