I'm not quite sure why, but since long before you were born, I've associated you with dragonflies. Before we knew your sex, we picked out bedding for you in shades of orange and green, adorned with dragonflies. Daddy found a great set of wire sculptures to hang on your wall, one a butterfly, the other a dragonfly. Your Grandma Laurel got you a dragonfly mobile that hung above your crib, and more dragonflies hang from hooks on your wall.
Last year, when I had the idea to start an ornament collection for you by finding a new ornament every holiday season, it was easy for me to settle on a theme: dragonflies! In my search for the perfect dragonfly ornament for your first Solstice, which is the day I chose for giving this particular gift, I stumbled upon Merritt Hyde's etsy shop, and selected one of her beautiful hand-made dragonfly ornaments, like this one, which incorporated recycled and reclaimed materials like barn roofing and flooring nails. Her medium is the perfect complement to our "reduce, reuse, recycle" values, and for our desire to support small businesses and unique artists. The ornament I gave you last year can be seen right in the center of your tree, pictured in this letter on holiday traditions.
When I went on the hunt for your dragonfly ornament this year, Merritt's shop once again turned up in my search. I was delighted to find that she is still making these ornaments, and chose a red one for you. It arrived today, but you don't get to see it until Solstice on Tuesday!
I hope that Merritt keeps making these ornaments for years to come, so that we can build you a rainbow collection of dragonflies. These ornaments aren't the only reason I have love for Merritt; as it turns out she is also very generous, and has donated an ornament just like yours to be given away to one of our readers! (Readers, the giveaway will go live tomorrow, so stay tuned!)
One day, when you have a home of your very own to decorate, I'll hope you'll love these ornaments just as much as I do.
Love,
Mama
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What a beautiful post, and a wonderful tradition! I love donning our Christmas tree with ornaments full of meaning :)
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you:)
i love dragonflies, and this ornament is too cute...i give each of our 2 daughters (now 17 and 11) an ornament every year, and i am sometimes sad to have to put the special ones away at the end of the Christmas season, so i think i would hang these from my youngest daughter's ceiling, on varying lengths of monofilament or fishing line, to make it appear as if they were floating...
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