Eric's Green Satin Ornament



I was sitting in my living room gazing at my Christmas tree.  It looks so very sad with only a few presents left to be delivered.  While I was looking I found my mind taking me back to a time very long ago.  One Christmas when Eric was a child....7 or 8 his class at school made ornaments for the parents for Christmas.  They were all made with Satin balls, rick rack, and beads.  Eric made his from a Christmas green colored ornament, added gold and white rick rack and a ton of sequins and pearls.  He was so proud of it.  As a young mom...my tree was pretty much adorned with homemade ornaments and the ones I bought for each child every year.  I have a thing about ornaments.  That year when we took the tree down I lovingly wrapped the ornament so we could use it again next year.  The ornament survived a number of years.  When Eric was 17 his sister, Jenifer wanted to do our tree in a Victorian style.  Up until then my tree was a tree of memories.  I allowed her to do the decorating that year and my tree  was done in beige, pink, silver, and lavender.  It was a showplace tree and Jeni was so proud of herself.   Eric, on the other hand, was not.  He wanted his green ornament on that tree.....somewhere.  By now his ornament was 10 years old and the satin had begun to turn loose.  To placate him we put the ornament on the tree....in the back...buried deep within the branches.  No one could really see it....but he knew it was there.  It was that year that I began boxing up their "special" ornaments in boxes with their names on them.  My plan was for them to take them and decorate their own trees with their memories someday.  When Eric married I gave these keepsakes to his wife and she was appalled at the green ornament.  I took it back to my house and lovingly placed it on my tree.  Several years later and when he married again I gave it to his new wife.  She put it on their tree with pride.  I think I fell in love with her at that very minute.  She was all about memories.  Eric is now in his 40's and I am sure that ornament has long since been discarded....but for many years it was a heartfelt gift that a little boy made for his momma.....and looking at my tree this year....I remembered......and smiled.