10/14/20
As a newlywed, I remember a wedding gift—a metal sunburst wall clock that hung in the living room. I hated it.
Over the years we replaced “stuff” like the sunburst with photos. Photos of where we had been or where we want to go. Everyone has too dream.
Today, the computer room is decorated with our “annual montage” of photos. Each Christmas we take 16-20 of the “highlight” photos of the past year, arrange them on 11 x 17” foamboard and photocopy
them, in color, at FedEx Office. The back of the sheet is a black and white typewritten summary of the years’ highlights from the puppies’ perspective. (we dislike Christmas letters bragging about… You get the picture. The dog is more objective and less braggadocios.) The printed version then gets folded and mailed as a Christmas card). Since we live several states away from family, most family members say they enjoy catching up with our past years’ activities and highlights. The original photo montage gets framed and hung on the wall where we, our children and grandchildren along with friends like to reminisce. It has become a very enjoyable tradition and costs little except a Sunday afternoon in November.
But back to the decorating. Above the fireplace is a plain white wall with space for a 48 x 48” picture. We rotate them—four a year. It starts with a dogwood picture in the spring, grassy country lane with
beautiful green trees overhanging the lane in the summer, a wooden bridge in Vermont surrounded by colorful leaves in the fall and a local snow picture (yes it snows in Texas once in a while) in the winter. Might sound corny but the photos put you in the mood of the season just like a Christmas tree or poinsettia plant in December.
Whether you decorate with pictures of where you have been or destinations on your bucket list, they will make you feel better on those days when you need a boost.
That is something we could never say about the sunburst clock.