A Christmas Present ~ The Best Gifts Can't be Gift-Wrapped

Think back to last Christmas.  Now, try going back to the year before.  Do you remember what gifts you got  or what gifts you gave to whom?  I don't. Well, I can remember only one; a very special one. Unless I rack my brain, I can't recall the gifts. Since my brain usually runs in overdrive, I have no desire to tax my brain by trying to recall the gifts of Christmas past. What I do recall is much more valuable than a gift which came from a department store - it's the gift of a Christmas memory.

I grew up in the 1960's.  My parents didn't have extra money to spend on developing film, so I don't have any photographs of my childhood Christmases.  They didn't have a smart phone or a digital camera to instantly download a memory to a home computer; none existed. Even though my memories of my childhood Christmases are still vivid in my mind, I wanted to find a way to recapture them, so that I could enjoy them and share them with my own family.

It began around 7 years ago.  I purchased a box of ornaments from QVC.  Christopher Radko had reproduced ornaments from his own childhood - Shiny Brites.  He fondly remembered his own holiday memories and so he reproduced them for all to share.  When I received them in the mail, they instantly brought my own memories vibrantly back to life; incredibly fond memories of my own Christmases of long ago.

I began a quest to recapture some of my childhood by way of searching for vintage Christmas collectibles.  I easily found original Shiny Brite ornaments at various antique stores and flea markets, costing no more than a dollar a piece. I even stumbled upon vintage candle stick holders and salt and pepper shakers at a flea market and voila - a new hobby was formed.

It's incredibly easy to find vintage collectibles online, but the point and click method of shopping doesn't fulfill my sense of adventure.  It's all in the hunt. I only went out once or twice a year to hunt for memories, so it's taken me years to build up a small collection.

I was feeling homesick for my own family one Christmas (my sisters all spend the holidays with their own families since my parents retired to North Carolina in 1991).  I wanted to share an old memory with them, so we could all conjure up the same fond memories of our childhood holidays spent together.  I carefully selected and wrapped  vintage ornaments and gave one to each of my three sisters as an early holiday gift.  No words were needed; they felt the same way I did when I first laid eyes on them.

It took me years to find and replace the ornaments I willingly shared with my sisters.  I thought I may never find those exact ones again - the ones I remember dangling from my grandparents' tree branches along with real tinsel and big, multicolored lights. Then I stumbled on the mother load.  My husband and I had an hour to kill while our cat was at the vet for a procedure.  We wandered around an antique store and found an entire room dedicated to Christmas Past.  My husband spied the room first. He turned to me and said, "Uh, oh; I don't think you should go in there."  I could tell by the smirk on his face that he knew a big reaction was about to happen.

I walked into the room and gasped.  It was like stepping back in time - back into a warm and fuzzy place filled with laughter and excitement.  I turned to my husband and grabbed him with both hands by his jacket and whispered  "Oh my God!"

I don't know how I appeared to him, but he says I looked like a wide-eyed child filled joy.  I was feeling like a child as I immersed myself, if only for a little while, in my own childhood.  I fell in love with a wreath made entirely of vintage Shiny Brite ornaments.  I was like a child in FAO Schwartz.  There were so many wonderful things; how could I possibly choose? We left without buying one single item.  I also left with the intention of returning with my sister.

My husband, one of my sisters and I went back.  I still couldn't choose.  The only thing I kept returning to was the wreath, but it was much more than I wanted to spend.  My husband said, "It's the only thing that you see that is lighting up your eyes. I'm buying it for you for Christmas."  I argued that it was far too expensive, but he paid no attention to my voice of reason.  He argued back that it would be something I would enjoy every year and it would one day become a family heirloom.  He didn't have to twist my arm too hard.

It's now December, 2011.  My vintage wreath hangs beautifully in our dining room.  It has become both a new and old Christmas treasure.  While it reminds me of my own childhood, it has given me an even fonder memory - one created with the man I love.  He's the man that lets me be a child whenever I need to be and understands my need to recreate a cherished memory. While helping me to do just that, he gave me an even greater gift than a somewhat pricey wreath.  He gave me a new memory, one that I'll treasure forever.

I still visit some flea markets because I still enjoy the hunt.  I also visit my new favorite antique store, The HiHo Market located in Gardiner, New York in the beautiful Hudson Valley.  I allow myself a few vintage collectibles each year. If you long to immerse yourself in your own childhood memories why not step back in time and visit Heidi and Humphrey at HiHo.  A visit will take the humbug out of most any Scrooge's heart.

Visit The HiHo Home Market and Antique Store online at http://www.hihohome.com/home.html  or in person. Tell them I sent you to take a much deserved break from reality.  You won't need the ghost of Christmas past to take you there. Just bring a childhood sense of wonder and someone you love.

This Christmas, take time to create memories with your loved ones while taking time to walk down your own Christmas memory lane.  Have a blessed holiday from my home to yours. ~ HSM