January 04, 1996 - A Tree Trimmed With Christmas MemoriesJanuary 4, 1996 • The Suffolk Times • SA
A Tree Trimmed With Christmas Memories
I'm writing this in the hope that some
of you, while putting away your
Christmas tree, have had time to sit back
and reminisce about some of the special
Christmas ornaments you've collected
over the years.
I guess we're old- fashioned for we still
like to go out and pick out a live
Christmas tree. This year we were able to
cut our own at a friend's place nearby just
as the big snow started to fail. We thought
about getting one of those
imitation trees but couldn't
quite yet bring ourselves to
doing that. Then there was
the thought about getting
one of those perfectly
trimmed live trees, but
they wouldn't do either for
there is hardly a place to
hang all the Christmas
balls and ornaments we have collected
through the years.
My job in this annual adventure is to
find the tree and cut it down, set it up
and put the lights on. After that Barbara
takes over and I relax, usually on the
couch, to give occasional advice that is
sometimes taken and sometimes not, but
my position gave me a good chance to
reminisce about many of the ornaments
on the tree. The oldest one comes from
my folks way back when we were all
together. They are gone now but it still
becomes part of our annual decorations.
Actually I don't even recall making it
but evidently I did make it in school as
so many young people still do.
This particular one is an oval- shaped
cardboard frame wrapped with faded
yellow and green and red raffia and in
the center is a picture of me down by the
bay in a long, full- topped bathing suit.
Things surely have changed since those
early days. Then there's also the pine -
cone- shaped ornament that was bright
silver with sparkles. It has lost some of
its luster now but its memories shine of
Christmas long ago.
Old Ornaments Take Backstage
Then there are the old balls that have
lost their shine and glow completely and
are tucked away in the rear of the tree. I
feel a bit sad about this, for they had
helped create such a magical spell in
those early years.. There are many hand-
made ornaments made by our kids and
others with ingenuity only they could
create: silver- sprayed milkweed pods or
scallop shells, each hanging from a little
hook, each with a small pearl -like ball in
its center. They make a perfect ornament.
A simple, small cardboard pair of
Christmas stockings from an old friend of
mine in the service hang proudly from the
end of a limb. He came home with me one
Christmas during the war and his memo-
ries have hung on our
Christmas tree ever since.
Each year we corresponded
with lengthy Christmas
cards. That is until last year,
when it all ended.
A miniature sleigh car-
ries the note, "Merry
Christmas from Joanie."
She's settled way over on
the west coast now but her memories
and sleigh are with us every Christmas.
Barbara blew a shrill noise from a green -
and -white plastic whistle, a reminder it,
too, had a place on the tree. First our
kids found it when sugarplums danced in
their heads and now another generation
will come in and stand before the tree in
awe, their eyes searching until they, too,
find the green- and -white whistle and
give it a blow.
I see a miniature sailboat deep inside
the tree. On it is printed "SeaWind
1980," the year we bought our 28 -foot
sailboat. What pleasant, dreamy days
and nights we spent on her. Seems each
Christmas through those boat years there
was always a present from Santa for the
boat. Funny how things work out.
Real Old Toy Drum
A little toy drum still shines with its
bright red, white, blue and silver trim-
ming. An ornament from another gener-
ation, Barbara's mother's family. How
many generations of children and grand-
children touched and marveled at it as it
took its place on the tree each year.
There's even an old- fashioned wooden
clothespin all dressed up with a painted
smiling face. It sits straddled over an outer
limb; the date on its weathered legs reads
"1976." There's no name on it but I'm
sure one of the kids had something to do
with it. Oftentimes we'd find these special
ornaments tied on top of a Christmas
Focus
on
Nature
by Paul
Stoutenburgh
1_0%69 s 1 wwL 115wwL
75 Years Ago
Dec. 319 1920
Appreciative Prisoners: Through the kindness of
Sheriff John Kelly, the prisoners in the county jail at River-
head enjoyed an excellent Christmas dinner, and they
appreciated it so much that a set of resolutions was drawn
up by one of the well- educated prisoners and signed by his
fellow prisoners, expressing their appreciation to the genial
and big - hearted Sheriff for the fine feast.
50 Years Ago
Dee. 28, 1945
An Airport for 41reenport? (Editorial) ... We are
at the threshold of a new method of transportation. At the
start of our postwar expansion we face the great possibili-
ties of travel by air. Again history will repeat itself, for the
location of suitable air transportation facilities will deter-
mine the future destiny of many communities for years to
come. Today the airplane ... has arrived in a world that has
made practically no provisions for it.
Throughout the nation wide -awake and progressive town,
city and village officials are giving much time and thought
to the possibilities for their communities participating in all
of the many possibilities of this coming air age, for in the
years to come flying will become the common means of
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
SCALLOP SHELL ORNAMENT —As we put away the various ornaments
from our Christmas tree, we reflect on those that hold special meaning for us.
package to give it a special flair.
Birds had to be on our tree. There is
this silver bird we have from our first
Christmas together. It was an elegant
handblown ornament from Germany, but
then through the years its neck and
silken white tail have both been broken
off, only to be reglued somewhat clumsi-
ly, yet the repair went a long way in
restoring its dignity. It still holds a spe-
cial place on our tree.
There are others, like the red felt car-
dinal and the yellow canary, but the one I
like is the woodpecker who has elon-
gated wire toes so you can wrap them
around the trunk of the tree. Most casual
viewers will miss it for it sits deep within
the green branches, but those who know
our tree will always be looking for it.
There is something today that is miss-
ing under our tree, and that is the boxes
and toys for the kids. Now they're off in
their own homes with their own trees
with boxes and toys under them. There
are still a few gifts carefully wrapped,
but in the place of gifts we've placed
transportation. Greenport, as a community, should give this
subject much intelligent thought. We must be in a position
to reap the benefits of air travel. We should take the advice
and suggestions of those who have studied aviation and its
possibilities. Greenport will need, and must have, an airport
in the future. Now is the time to lay our preliminary plans.
25 Years Ago
Dec. 25, 1970
New Campus in Riverheach The Suffolk County
Legislature meeting in Riverhead Tuesday approved the
establishment of a $7.5 million Riverhead -area campus for
the Suffolk Community College. The resolution notes that
the community college at Selden has conducted a study to
determine the need for such an installation in eastern Suf-
folk and has determined that a campus is needed.
The resolution approved unanimously formal establish-
ment of the campus subject to the approval of the trustees
of the State University of New York. Site studies would
begin in 1971 with actual construction getting under way in
1972. Legislative Chairman John Klein denies that the leg-
islature had any particular site in mind. A denial followed
charges that a county taking of Peconic River frontage land
ostensibly for park and wetland purposes would actually
provide the campus site.
from down in the cellar old rocking
horses and sleighs and teddy bears, a
child's rocking chair and all the trap-
pings of past Christmases we remember
when the kids were about.
This is done partly for ourselves and
partly for all of them when they visit.
It's part of the tradition of Christmas that
in this ever - accelerated world of ours is
slipping away. We're all part of that
world and even our Christmas tree has
seen some of the changes. The old lights
that were once big and colorful but
always seemed to need attention have
been replaced by a multitude of tiny
white lights that cover the tree in a new
and special way.
Now that Christmas is over and there
is hopefully time to reflect, I'm sure you,
too, can find special ornaments and dec-
orations that are cherished each year.
Surely there are many other store - bought
ones that will add to the sparkle and glit-
ter of your tree but they will never take
the place of the ones you and I know so
well — "those special ones."
East End Will Debut
Its Own `Bay Watch'
RIVERHEAD —A series of 60-
minute programs on issues affecting
the Peconic Bay estuary will air on
Cablevision's Channel 27 beginning
tonight at 8 o'clock. The programs are
sponsored by the Peconic Estuary
Program (PEP) and PEP's Citizen's
Advisory Committee.
Tonight's show will focus on both
Peconic Bay scallops and the brown
tide problem. It will be co- hosted by
Phil Bryce and Gayle Marriner- Smith.
A panel of guest experts will answer
viewer questions received on a Call -In
line, 727 -8551.
The program will be aired live the
first Thursday of every month at 8 p.m.
The Thursday, Feb. 1, show will con-
centrate on nitrogen management.
For further information, call PEP at
765 -1766.
You deserve the best
The Suffolk Tines