I pulled into the parking lot of the third store that morning. Who knew how hard it would be to find some little ornaments to go with the Christmas presents I had gotten for my staff?! I just wanted a “sweet little something” for each of them. And I had struck out twice already…
I hadn’t been in this particular store in awhile—it’s not in the same area where my usual spots are located. Christmas met me as I walked in! Lovely carols played softly over the speakers while the fragrance of citrus, cinnamon, and evergreen mingled invitingly. Items were arranged attractively, with enough space that you could actually pick things up to look at them without crashing everything else in the display.
And suddenly–I was surprisingly emotional. Yes, I remembered this store. It looks different now, but it has been in my community for 40 years—long before Walmart arrived. It used to be the only gift store in town.
Why was I emotional? Because decades ago, my husband brought our 3 children to this store to pick out gifts for Mommy for Christmas. I still have the heart necklace from my youngest daughter. And my husband got me a pinecone.
A gold pinecone ornament, to be precise.
Long ago and far away, for our first Christmas together we cut down a tree growing in a nearby ditch. Then we scouted out pine cones that were in good shape, took them home and painted designs on them with some leftover model paint. These were our ornaments–we were very pleased with our creativity! We popped popcorn and strung it for garland. Our hearts were full as we smiled at our budget-friendly first Christmas tree.
Little is much when it’s received with love and contentment.
We kept the pinecones as long as we could, though each year the number grew less and less, until there were none left. When my husband saw that gold pinecone ornament in the store, he knew I would love it. And I did. Still do. (Still love him, too!)
The owner of the store called me back from my nostalgic reverie, and I found myself choking up as I told her what I was looking for. Then I shared with her the story of the pinecone. And she got teary-eyed. She thanked me for sharing that with her. We had a lovely chat, being grateful for Christmases past and the opportunity to show love to others now. She said it’s good to spread Christmas cheer—especially this year!
Funny—but it encouraged me to know that I had blessed someone else with my tale of joy in little things and precious memories.
I wish you joy in the little things and the making of precious memories.
Merry Christmas!
