Dear Editor,
My husband and I were newlyweds that December 1972 evening when we received a knock on the door of our basement apartment. Opening the door I was greeted by a grateful lady who I had done unpaid genealogical research for. Along with a smile she handed me a brightly wrapped box with a note.
Christmas morning comes and under our little tree there is a meager amount of presents, I think three and this box was there waiting along with the other two. I open it and was pleased to see a Mr. and Mrs. Snowman that the lady had crafted. I remember how it made me feel to see them and I put them out on the table to enjoy and every year, since have enjoyed taking them out of the Christmas box and thinking back to that time so many years ago.
Except this year which would have made 40 years. Going into the basement I found to my dismay all Christmas decorations and the Christmas tree gone. The special box with my memories gone along with Mr. and Mrs. Snowman. Gone are the ornaments my piano students gave me, gone are the ornaments my daughter gave me with one saying To Mom with the year and the other To Garry who has since passed away. Gone are the other special ornaments that I have collected and lovingly took out and hung on the various trees and put back on New Years Eve.
No Superstorm Sandy nor devastating fire took my precious belongings. Only some heartless person helped themselves to them. I can only say they will not have the same meanings when hung on some other tree and Mr. and Mrs. Snowman, well, they may have even been thrown away.
There will be no Christmas tree this year because there is nothing in the stores that interest me. No boxes of pretty ornaments have those special memories attached. If someone reading this knows about this box please return it. You know where it comes from and you will only be greeted with tears of joy.
Nora Sutton
Princeton