She’s been the topper on the family Christmas tree for the past thirty-one Christmases and this year she will miss her first Christmas with our family. After last year, this little Styrofoam Christmas angel retired from our Christmas tree as her fragile condition had been getting worse through the years. She is now another nostalgic artifact from my youth, albeit a special one.
She started simply as a second grade Christmas craft project and was constructed using part of an egg carton, one Styrofoam ball, some yellow “angel” hair, a pipe cleaner and a generous amount of gold glitter. Each kid in class created their very own Christmas angel and after I made this one, I was anxious to get home and plant my Styrofoam angel on our Christmas tree. It was truly a miracle from God that she survived the rest of the school day and a rowdy bus ride home.
I probably had a grin the size of the Grand Canyon once she was placed on top of the Christmas tree.
For the next thirty-one years she watched our family celebrate Christmas. Her first Christmas as a tree topper, she saw me open one of my favorite toys, the ever loveable Stretch Monster. Year after year, she watched each Christmas from up high. She viewed my brother and I open countless gifts of Star Wars toys, Atari cartridges, sweater vests and VHS movies. She laughed at our crazy conversations and heated discussions around the Christmas tree. She enjoyed the company of Bluebell, our family dog who liked sleeping under the tree. She joyfully welcomed new family members and sadly said goodbye to others. She even didn't mind sharing the same room with a famous movie prop.
For me and my family she represents wonderful memories from Christmas past and even though she’s now sitting on a shelf instead on top of a Christmas tree, she will continue to remind me of family fun and family togetherness, which is one of the many and most important parts of Christmas.
Merry Christmas everyone! Luke 2:8-14
