One Christmas in the early years of our marriage, my mother decided to gift to her children some of the Ornaments that had annually decorated our Christmas tree through my childhood. She reminded us of the time she had allowed each of us children to pick out a Christmas ornament for our family’s tree. Those would be the ornaments that we could each take home.
One of my sisters had chosen a blown glass figure of a biblical wise man carrying jewels and treasure, another selected a jeweled ball. I chose a Space Santa; or Santa dressed as an intrepid spaceman with rectangular eyes and a round cherry nose; all dressed in festive greenish-aqua, or some such color.
As I recall, my world was somewhat caught up with the space race; who would win? I didn’t see myself as an astronaut, as that would take me away from the woods. However over the previous few years I had collected a scrap book of articles on each of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions. I believe that I also had an article on sputnik, but not having the book anymore I can’t be sure. Regardless, everywhere we went, space themed products were the rage, so I guess that it was no surprise I selected a space themed ornament.
Later, my dear wife confessed that she had been so relieved that the wise man belonged to my sister. But as mortifying as that was, she would gladly trade it for Space Santa. How could I have chosen something so hideous? Well I was a young lad; what kind of taste do young lads have? Right; poor!
Space Santa is blown from grey-blue glass with painted details. His vaguely cylindrical head is covered with a removable clear glass space helmet. My dear wife considers him the ugliest Christmas Ornament ever; I on the other hand am still hopeful of finding an uglier one.
Every year at this time when we decorate our tree I am left to carefully unwrap this treasure and find a place for him. It’s a bit harder than one might think. The site has to be a place where we can see him if we look, but not a place where he detracts from the overall beauty of the display. I usually hang him to one side near the trunk.
Things like Space Santa are part of the glue that bind meaningful relationships, in marriages as well as tribes or communities. Pieces of individual history merged together into a shared bond. This piece was from my individual history but we combined it with pieces of her history to form our history. And each year we have faithfully displayed him with the rest of our beauties.
After nearly fifty years he is still hanging around. He hasn’t attracted lightning yet (knock on wood). But I’m still looking for that elusive uglier ornament. Here’s to the hunt!
Oh, and just in case you want one of your own, a similar model is still made today.