Santa and the Egg Angel

The Santa ornament and the little angel inside of the egg shell (it's not real but papier mache, I think) are two of the old family ornaments that use to hang on our tree when I was growing up. The Santa is so old that I don't even remember when we got him. I'm sure my parents bought him either before I was born or when I was very little, which makes him over 50 years old. The little angel sitting in the egg is an ornament whose origins I have faint memories of. It is one that my mother either gave to me or that I was allowed to pick out at the store. My sister has a similar one. Even though it was always kept with the family ornaments, as was my sister's, it's an ornament that I have always considered 'mine.'

When we sold the family home back in 2005, because I was taking care of my mom, and had moved her close to where I live, I ended up with the boxes of family ornaments. I still have the ornament that belonged to my sister as well. I know she wants it back so I really should send it to her, but for this year, I have hung them close together on the tree (it's not visible in the frame of this shot). It may be the last year that they are ever on the same Christmas tree.

The holidays are a time of reflection and as we put up the tree this year, I got very sad as I went through the ornaments. Seeing all of these ornaments from my childhood and then ones that I collected at different times in my life, brought back so many memories. They were all good memories but they made me cry. Even though I'm a 57 year old man, it still feels strange not having a living parent any longer. My sister and I were quite close growing up, but I haven't spent a Christmas with her in over 4 years. Unpacking the ornaments was a reminder of so many of the things that I have lost.