Cover Story

Holiday Traditions
From Our Family To Yours

Decorating with Candlesticks
by Patty Sullivan

A newly adopted favorite holiday tradition of mine is decorating with inherited candlesticks. Five years ago this November, my cousin, Joe Kelly, passed away. Always seeking treasures, Joe loved a good yard sale.

He was paralyzed in his teens yet managed to live a fantastic life for many years. During this time, he was capable of going to yard sales by transitioning in and out of his modified car. As his paralysis increased and he could no longer drive himself, Joe navigated his wheelchair to yard sales via a joy stick with his crippled hand. To carry his treasures home, he used a backpack.

One day, I saw Joe struggling with his backpack. I stopped to help him and found there was a candlestick slipping out of his backpack. I secured the candlestick, gave him a drink from his water bottle, and sent him on his way, presumably to find more treasure.

When Joe passed away, I was asked if there was anything I would like to have to remember Joe by. The first thing that popped into my thoughts was the instance with the candlestick. Much to my surprise, Joe had quite the candlestick collection and I was able to choose several. I have incorporated his treasured candlesticks into my household décor, and as pictured on the cover, I enjoy finding new and creative ways to decorate for the holidays using them.

If you sold candlesticks at a yard sale, it is likely that they have become a family treasure with great memories of a loved one, and it may be that it is your candlestick that will decorate my Christmas table this year.


Blankie-Wrapping
by Tricia Sullivan

Growing up, I, like many children, became emotionally attached to an irreplaceable blankie. This blanket was cherished because the very touch, sight or smell of it gave me comfort and had the power to conjure up joyous memories. This cherished blankie, often played an integral role in my childhood moments of make-believe.  It could transform in an instant from a stage curtain to a cape, boat sail or magic carpet. It was the co-star of many of my at-home performances throughout its life and never failed to make itself useful during the most memorable time of year, Christmas!

Beginning from a time that I was too young to remember, blankets have been used in our family to wrap the gifts we give to each other during the holidays. The tradition began because, during the paper-ripping chaos one early Christmas morning, a forgotten, unwrapped gift was suddenly remembered and pulled out from its hiding place shielded from the curious eyes of my sisters and me by a blanket. Since this time, giving and receiving gifts in a blanket of any kind brings a feeling of comfort and joy to our hearts and a smile to our faces.

Without a doubt, this is a tradition that will carry on in our family for generations to come because it is something unique that makes our family feel special and reminds us all, each and every holiday season, that we have always been and will always be unconditionally loved.


The Ornament Exchange: Our Newlywed Tradition
by Shauna Sharp

The Sullivan family and the Sharp Family became one when I married the love of my life, David Allan Sharp. Christmas 2010 will always hold a special place in my heart as it was the first holiday season David and I shared as a married couple. As newlyweds starting our lives together, the holiday season offered a new level of excitement for us. Along with the union of two people comes the fusion of two sets of holiday traditions and, as we saw it, a time for us to start a few new traditions of our own.

Growing up, our families’ Christmas trees were both adorned with an eclectic mix of ornaments collected over time. So, when we put up our very own tree and decorated it with a package of freshly-manufactured plastic ornaments, beautiful as it may have been, something just didn’t feel right. This mutual feeling of disappointment was replace with joy when out of it came one of our very own traditions, an ornament exchange.

Giving each other ornaments each year is something we both look forward to for multiple reasons: the hunt for the perfect ornament to put a smile on each other’s faces, an excuse to open a present early so that the ornaments can be placed on the tree before being packed away for next year and, most of all, the joy of watching our collection of ornaments grow with each passing year we spend together as a family. For the two of us, each holiday season is another reminder that we have such amazing memories to look back on and a bright future to look forward to.

From our family to yours, we wish you all a holiday season filled with health, happiness and unforgettable family traditions.