What you know first you know best. For me, at this time of year, what I knew first and best was a live Christmas tree. Along with that tree, I remember the vinyl records from the Reader’s Digest Collection of Christmas music playing, “I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus” and “All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth all while we decorated that tree.
My first Christmas where I purchased my own tree was during my Navy time in the Philippines. The US Military as a part of their Christmas effort had containers of live trees shipped to overseas bases. These were essentially dry needles by the time they arrived for sale having spent weeks in transit before arriving at their destination. It did make for a Merry Christmas to have a live tree. Living in my one room at the Bachelors’ Officers Quarters, I obtained a small Charlie Brown tree and began collecting Christmas with the purchase of my first ornaments.
These simple ornaments from my time in the Philippines remind me of the amazing Philippine culture I experienced in the early ’80s.
The ornament on the left is a kalesa which is a horse-drawn calash used in the Philippines. This is transport dating from the 19th century that like the carriages in Charleston are mostly seen in tourist locations. On the right is the jeepney with Santa! Originally made from U.S military jeeps left over from World War II these are public transport vehicles. I remember riding in these all the time! Like an open-air taxi combo bus, we’d be packed in with as many as the driver wanted to pick up. Each jeepney had its own kitsch decoration! At the bottom, is the nipa hut which is a stilt house indigenous to the cultures of the rural Philippines.
What ornaments have you collected from around the world?
I bought little paper fan gift tags while we were in Japan, I couldn’t give them up, so have been using them as ornaments on the tree every since then. Some of my favorites on the tree.