Cherished

I didn’t want new ornaments. I wanted the old ones the kids made when they were little

by DIANE STARK, Brazil, Indiana

WHERE WERE the ornaments? The reindeer’s head with the googly eyes and pipe cleaner antlers, the gingerbread man smeared in glue, the school photo framed with Popsicle sticks? Our last Christmas in the house, those presents from seven-year-old Jordan and four-year-old Julia meant everything. My husband had cleared out his stuff and divorce was imminent. Before the kids and I moved in with my parents, we packed the tree in a plastic tub, put the lights and glass bulbs in another and wrapped the handmade ornaments in tissue to be boxed up. By the time the house sold that summer, we’d moved into a rental. I got a job teaching kindergarten; the kids got used to a new school; we joined a new church. By year’s end, we felt settled. Putting up…

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The Joys Of Christmas (Digital) - 1 Issue, 2019

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