Christmas Decorations

It’s time to put the holiday décor away for another year. Not that I had a lot out to speak of. We have not put up a regular Christmas tree for more years than I can remember. My mother was the one who went all out for the holidays, even going as far as dressing all her ‘play dolls’ in seasonal outfits. It must have taken her a whole day to get them all dressed up around the house. They provided her with a lot of pleasure, you could tell.

For the last couple of years I have been putting out a small ceramic tree that lights up. My mother gave me this one before she passed away. I remember when these were quite the fad in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Back then, the trees were often handmade in ceramics shops (ceramic crafts were very popular at the time), and painted in a variety of colors, styles, and textures. People could learn how to paint their own ceramics at local shops. Once fired in the kiln, the colourful plastic ‘lights’ were added to the trees and the electrical connection for the light bulb inside put in place. As time went on the ceramics industry and the hobby of painting ceramics declined like trends often do.

It seems, however, that ceramic Christmas trees have recently made a comeback as people look to recreate the Christmases of their childhoods. You can find them at Canadian Tire, Walmart and Amazon to name a few. These are all commercially made now though and lack the charm of a handmade tree.

The other special item to be tucked away until next Christmas is a lovely holiday outfit my mother made for Barbie. The top of the dress and the hat were crocheted by her while the skirt is a lovely holiday fabric. The ensemble was embellished with ribbon, lace and artificial flowers. I only recently found this outfit while looking for something else. It was proudly displayed on a shelf this past Christmas and will be every year from now on.

My mother had doll outfits for practically every season or holiday you could think of…Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Halloween/Thanksgiving, spring, summer, autumn and winter. How I sometimes wish that I had all her dolls and outfits now. Unfortunately, after she passed away her husband (not my father) denied me any of her things. It’s a long, ugly story that I won’t get into. I’ve had to learn to accept that I will never see them again.