Crystal Clear Happy Tears

Posted on November 30th, 2015

It’s Cyber Monday, which is essentially a personal challenge to aggregate as many steeply discounted items as possible.   These things might make you look cuter at holiday parties or enable you to watch Netflix on a bigger screen or give your mother a fancier Christmas present, but they are just things nonetheless.  Instead of posting about all the great deals– with which you have no doubt already been inundated– I wanted to focus on instances where things represent so much more.

My family has a tradition of marking significant occasions with Waterford crystal ornaments.  For a marriage, birth, or a new home, a crystal ornament from that year is the traditional gift.  Two weeks after we got engaged, my great-aunt presented us with the 2015 two turtle doves ornament— the first I have received.  Hanging it on the tree in our Seattle apartment brought tears to my eyes for so many reasons, and I’ll spare you the mush, but I really cherish both the symbol of a very special year and feeling like I’m part of the beautiful traditions of the very special family who gave it to me.

I have a tendency to fail to properly acknowledge major moments; I often feel like I’m just checking off the boxes on the way to some unknown destination. As in, “of course we got engaged, that was the logical step preceding getting married, which is a logical step preceding buying our first house, which is…” I certainly shouldn’t need an ornament to make me realize big things are happening, but seeing it twinkling on the tree I can’t help but pause and reflect.

Now I just need to figure out how to keep this little bit of Christmas with me all through the year.