Perfect Ribbon Placement 101 by Dr. Shelley Kemp
It’s Thanksgiving week, 2024…
… and it’s the first Thanksgiving season I have put up our Christmas tree before the turkey was even cooked. Our family tradition has always been to celebrate Thanksgiving both Thursday and Friday; then, on Saturday, Christmas comes out. By Monday, the entire house has been converted to a traditional Christmas holiday. But families in 2024 are so different than families of the 1970s and 1980s, aren’t they? Today, I have to check Tik Tok and Pinterest to see the correct way to tie the perfect bow, create a nine-foot nutcracker out of pots and paints, and for the perfect placement of ribbons on the tree. Tinsel has been replaced with six-inch ribbon. Satin covered ornaments have been pushed aside by glittery balls, and strings of popcorn have been replaced by beaded strands of perfection all draped with precision around the tree. One thing, however, has remained constant at our house – novelty ornaments.
Every year I purchase a specialty ornament for each family member. As our son was growing up, he loved cars, airplanes, and trains, so we have a caboose, a train engine, and a race car on our tree. My husband and I love to travel, so we always purchase an ornament when we go out of town. We have a beautiful glass ornament from New Orleans, a golf cart ornament from Belize, and a silver suitcase with travel stickers. Each ornament is special and elicits beautiful memories. I pick up an ornament, and I immediately know where and when it was purchased, who it was purchased for, and what makes the ornament so special. This week, as I was decorating our tree earlier than usual, I realized how these beautiful ornaments, the same ones I take so much care of year after year, are similar to people and how God thinks of His own children.
One, each is unique. Some ornaments are homemade, while some are store-bought. Some people are simple and enjoy the simplicity of life, while others adorn themselves with the most beautiful clothes or jewelry, enjoying all that life has to offer. Some ornaments are painted, some are glass-blown, and some of carved, while people come from all walks of life, from large cities like New York, to beautiful country-sides like West Texas, or even to remote parishes or towns like Foxworth, Mississippi; yet each ornament – and yes, each person - is significant and has their own story.
Two, like each person on earth, these beautiful ornaments carry specific memories. They might remind you of a special occasion, a loved one, or a particular moment in time, but it is the differences between the different ornaments (and subsequently, the people) that make each one so special. So rare.
Three, ornaments come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. I don’t know about you, but I, myself, have been all shapes and all sizes over the years, but that’s what is so great about people from around the world. We are a diverse world. Just like my tiny ornament, each one adds their own charm and beauty to this life.
Four, both ornaments and people can be fragile. They need to be handled with care and respect to avoid breaking.
Finally, aren’t the traditions we have, not just those about putting up the tree at a certain time of the year, but our celebrations like weddings, favorite birthday cakes, or family foods, so special? There is something extra special about being part of a tradition, passing down items through generations, sharing our stories and values with the people we love?
While this year’s traditions may look different in my household, it’s wonderful to reflect on the real value of celebrating the holidays with our family and friends. We may come together only once or twice a year, we may all look different from year to year, some getting older faster than others, while others are welcoming in new life into the family. Whatever season we are in, God spent extra care of each one of us. He created us perfectly in His very own image, and he made no mistakes. Psalm 139:14 says, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” This holiday season, as we get closer and closer to celebrating the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ, notice your ornaments, especially the ones you took extra care of choose. You are God’s chosen child, one like no one else. You are unique. Your memories and experiences are special not only to you, but He relishes in all that you have experienced, done, and will do. You are perfect in shape, in size, in color, in height, in width. These is no dress size too small or big for you. He’s knows that you can be fragile, but your humility, your softness, and your sensitivity are purposeful. You are the legacy He wanted for this time. Read that again.
You are the legacy God, himself, wanted for this time.
May you and your family be blessed this Thanksgiving holiday. Peace, Love, & PIVOTS, Shelley.
By Dr. Shelley Kemp, Ed.D., SHRM-SCP