According
to an email article from the Meredith Corp. (Martha Stewart, Better Homes &
Gardens, etc.) entitled “8 Outdated Holiday Decorating Trends to Avoid” (Dec.
6), I’m making all kinds of Christmas decorating mistakes. First and foremost, I’m
still decorating my tree with my collection of vintage ornaments. My collection
has been an annual “add to” for as many years as I can remember, but Martha and her “experts”
think that this is an outdated look. Well, isn’t that why we call it an old-fashioned
Christmas tree? Isn’t Christmas all about memories, friends and family,
tradition? Can tradition ever be outdated? I happen to love this look, and who
are they to tell me that it’s a mistake?!
They
had more to say, too – like get rid of your Christmas cactus because it’s
boring and trade in your tree skirt for something called a “cap” – but by this
point I was so offended that I quit reading. It’s one thing to present
suggestions and quite another to word it in an offensive manner.
Who are they talking to anyway? The wealthy? I happen to think we’re darn lucky, even blessed, if we have food and shelter in today’s world.
And
I can tell you – if I tossed all of my ornaments in favor of a new style, no
one in my family would be impressed. My daughter would worry that I’d undergone
a personality change, and the guys wouldn’t notice at all.
I saw just one comment on that article which began, “OR, you can do what you love . . .” My sentiments exactly.
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A
few years ago, I commented to daughter Hallie that some of my ornaments are
tarnished and probably shouldn’t be used. She replied that pre-tarnished
ornaments can be purchased – you know, for that dated look.
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Some
of the ornaments on my tree date back to WWII and before. And then there’s the
sweet Santa face from the Dollar Tree. Another Santa was made from a shotgun
shell, a gift from Mike’s hunting buddy. You get the picture. My ornaments have
stories.
Well, that’s my rant for the day. Hmmmph! (Oh! And yes, I did unsubscribe from “Holidays and Celebrations.” These aren’t my people.) KW
3 comments:
They have to tell us that what we have is no good so that we'll go out and buy more things. I also believe that a Christmas tree should be a collection of stories.
Hi Hallie! I, too, thought that they were trying to get me to buy, but why? What's it to them? What's out there is not better than what I already have. In some cases, the quality is worse. And after Christmas, it really shows up as junk.
I totally agree with you and Hallie!! And I'm sure there are producers who "subsidize" the Meredith Corp and Martha who encourage them in such articles so we WILL buy. Hogwash! Christmas is for tradition! All the ornaments on our tree, down to the walnut painted red with only a couple pieces of glitter still clinging to it that one of our children made about 1976. TRADITION!!!
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