Christmas Disaster

I was doing so good.

Taking down my little St. Jude tree.

Packing away all the Santas.

Most of the nativities are nestled in their appropriate box.

Other Christmas decorations are rounded up and either packed up or waiting for their spot to be made in their tote.

Ornaments off the tree....minimal nostalgia slowing me down....although at one point, I did think, "gotta tell the girls that I need a promise that my mom's ornament and my grandma's ornament won't be given to Goodwill or D.I. when I die...that they will hang on one of their trees each year.  I don't care who.  Just promise that they won't become trash."

And then.

One ornament to go.

I'm unwinding my last gold ribbon thing to wrap the last ornament in.  Reach up for the ornament and...

The hanger lets go of the ornament.

Ornament falling towards floor...me: "NOOOOO!!!!!"

It bounced.  I thought: THANK YOU! to God.  Try to get over to catch it before it hits the floor again, but know that I won't make it.  I don't make it.  It bounces again.  I try to grab it...nope.  Out of reach.  Third bounce, it doesn't really bounce.  Well, it doesn't bounce at all.  It goes smlack.

And my heart goes smlack right along with it.

I sit on the floor.  Gather up my pieces.  Take a picture.

And sit there some more.

Think: someone has to have come up with some sort of craft for broken ornaments.  I'm going to have to google this.

Sit there some more.

Doug comes home from the gym.  Tells me he didn't call (so I could get dinner started...) because he forgot his phone.  There was another comment...something about the president being on the radio right then...then I looked at him and said I had a disaster.  Told him my sad story.  He said he was sorry.  Agreed there has to be some craft there for me to find.

Sigh.

That's my mom's ornament.  That was on our tree when I was in her home.

I feel bad.

I've had that sucker for...almost 20 years.

I'm going to go now.  Because I am sad and if I continue, you might think I'm a pathetic soul.  That there are worse things in the world than a broken ornament.  I assure you, I realize that.  And I'll get over it.  And then be reminded in December when I'm putting up my tree and I hang my grandma's ornament and don't have my mom's to go next to it.

Perhaps I'll put the mirror one of my girls up there to lessen the sting.  It can have the regular place of honor...except then it's more tricky to show off.  Nope, I'll keep it where I can force people to look at it.

Really going now.  Just putting my sadness down.