Sometimes being single means you get the small ornament

Since it's Christmas-time and everyone seems to be telling stories of Christmas' past, here's another story of Christmas in my family.

It was the year 1998.  I was coming home after my first semester of college in Ohio.  What college student doesn't look forward to coming home, car full of dirty laundry.  I think once you've been away from home for a few months, you forget all the little things you hated about home.  You are excited to be pampered by mom.  She'll cook your favorite meals, wash all that laundry, and wipe your nose remind you that all is well in the world.  This was how my Christmas break began.  It was a wondrous thing.

Then Christmas day arrived.

My brother and his wife were there.  My sister and her fiance were there.  My parents and I were there, of course.  It was a tradition in my family that my mom would get a Hallmark ornament each year.  Sometimes the ornament was a milestones, like "Our First Christmas Together" or something.  This year was special for my sister because she was engaged so she got a special one.  One by one they opened their precious ornament box.  I can't remember what they got but it was a normal sized ornament.  Then came my turn...

I tore off the wrapping paper and found the box...

Ok, the box was small but whatever.  Then I opened the box to see the actual ornament.

Still don't believe me that it was small?  Here's another view...

Seriously.  Why was the polar bear holding a fish in a block of ice?  It's like the bear is saying "It's ok that you're alone.  Here.  Have a fish".  I just stared at it for a minute.  It took that long to comprehend why Hallmark would even make an ornament that small!  My sister giggled a little then made some remark about how tiny it was.  Of course my mother felt horrible.  She didn't think the ornament would be THAT small.   We laughed about it and continued on with the gift giving.


I learned a valuable lesson that day.  Sometimes being single means you get the tiny, reject ornament.  So I needed to get married for no other reason than to get a better ornament.  Luckily I found a guy who could look past the tiny polar bear ornament.  :) After I married and put our first Christmas tree, I found that ornament tucked away in a box.  I put it on the tree and smiled.  Then I turned to show Joel how much tinier it looked on the big tree.  One problem...I couldn't find it again!  Seriously!  It was gone!  It had blended in with the tree!  We eventually found it but every Christmas from then on that ornament was left in the box.  Couldn't risk it being a choking hazard.