The Little Red Bell

The Little Red Bell

I was so proud of myself for getting all of my Christmas decorations down and boxed in a matter of hours this year. In what usually takes about a week, all that was left were two bare trees. Feeling a superior level of acomplishment, and being ahead of myself, I thought I'd make a great dinner for my husband. As I was standing in the kitchen gazing into the family room, I was thinking of the great holiday we all had this year when I caught a glimmer of red on the empty tree. I went to get a closer look, and sure enough in the tree above my head was one red ornament I left behind.

I drifted into thought about twelve years prior, to when my parents were moving to Arizona. Before they moved, they invited my brothers and me to go through the belongings that they were not going to take. There were plenty of great things that my brothers did not care for. They were interested in tools and baby food jars of nuts,bolts, and screws. For me it was those mismatched dishes, one of a kind cups, fancy candy dishes, and crystal candlesticks. I had great fun and so did my mom. We reminisced about days gone by, and which cookie cutters were our favorites, and what bowl held the most spaghetti. It was hard to not feel sad as they moved away from us to continue to spend the rest of their retirement in a warmer climate. As I loaded up a shoebox full of potato mashers,ladles, and I might say a few tears, I spotted a random red ornament. I grabbed it and quickly realized that it once graced the tree of my Grandma Martha. Mom and I laughed as she and I remember how I was the official tinsel helper of the family. I stood and held the box as my grandma flung the tinsel onto a crooked old tree, which always smelled beautiful, and was always in the same corner. Somehow Grandma Martha always got that tinsel on there perfectly! What with the gigantic lights and those pretty bells it was the best ever! My mom did not remember the history of the bell, but she remembered it being around when she was young. Now I have the very last one. It's tattered and old, but very beloved.

I think that it was left on my tree for a reason. It was time for me to stop and take some time to reflect on the past, and to remember a time when things were simple, slower, and less stressful and perhaps a bit more meaningful. When my husband came up behind me and asked, "What's for dinner?" and I said, "Honey, let's go out!" "But before we go, I want to call my mom, just to say hi!"

Story ID:	3437
Written by:	Mary Caliendo (bio, link, contact, other stories)
Story type:	Family Memories
Location:	Plainfield IL USA
Year:	2008
Person:	Grandma Martha, Mom, and Me