By Sue Oakes

I am a souvenir connoisseur.  A sentimental soul such as myself requires tangible mementos from every occasion.  I’ve been this way since I was a little kid.  I always thought it was a very romantic notion to have a hope chest at the end of my bed to store all my treasures.  Notes, class pictures, objects both bought and found, or anything I just couldn’t throw away was in my hope chest.  As I grew up, my adventures outgrew my hope chest.  But what do you do with all that precious stuff?  There is only so much space on bookshelves and walls. 

In 1993 I took my first really big adventure when I was a Junior in college.   It was Semester At Sea and I boarded an old cruise ship full of college students and sailed around the world taking classes on the ship and learning even more from the places we traveled to.  We left from Vancouver and returned to Florida 3 months later. 

My roommate’s name was Tiffany.  All I had was a name.  This was before Facebook and texting so we never talked before that day.   She was already a seasoned traveler and had that cool girl vibe.  Tiffany brought very few things with her.  Just a duffle bag and a boyfriend. 

I would get locked out from time to time so they could be alone, but our paths would cross on occasion.  As the semester went on, I noticed a growing collection of cardboard drink coasters and small trinkets on her nightstand.  She explained that since she didn’t have much room in her small duffle bag for souvenirs that those would have to do.  She would turn them into Christmas ornaments when she got home.   

Genius!  The only thing I love even more than souvenirs is Christmas.  It takes some time for a souvenir addict to downshift to thinking a small trinket would ever suffice.  I certainly packed my bags with souvenirs both great and small on that trip.  I donated a bunch of clothes to Goodwill (they were waiting for us all at the dock when we returned) so I could pack it all home.  I had small statues of Terracotta Warriors from China, Matryoshka nesting dolls from Russia, and tea cups from Turkey.  But I also had a few small items to hang on my tree.  A bounty of souvenirs as well as new friends, new confidence, and a new love of travel. 

The adventures weren’t quite as grand for a while, but I still collected a few baubles.  Then after Grad school, I moved to Denver on my own and soon after got engaged.  The champagne cork that popped when he popped the question was now a precious object.  I had some jewelry wire and beads and made a Christmas ornament.  And then it REALLY began.  Marriage, 2.5 years of amazing travels, kids, milestones, and vacations.  A collection of coasters, ticket stubs, money, subway passes and shells quickly became my favorite Christmas accessories. The story of my life can be traced along the branches of my tree.  Some are actual Christmas ornaments, I have lots of keychains that suffice, but most are just things fashioned into ornaments.  I would say the ones that are actual Christmas ornaments aren’t quite as interesting as the things.  I smile when I see the horseshoe that has San Antonio printed across it from a family trip, but I sit back and close my eyes to remember when I pull out my favorite cheap metal fork.  It’s from the night market in Taiwan and always earns the top spot front and center on my tree.  I can still taste the food, remember what I was wearing, and hear the K-pop music videos playing above the bowling alley that was randomly in the middle of the bustling market. 

I have to admit that there are a lot of alcohol-related items hanging on my Christmas tree.  Wine corks and beer bottle caps are abundant.  But that is because they are usually involved in many memorable moments.  A wine cork from the first time I saw my friend outside after COVID began.  Beer caps glued in the shape of a Christmas tree from our sunset trip down the Mekong River in Laos when we paid a man on the end of the pier to take us out.  And corks from my 50^th birthday party in wine country with friends.  And yes, I made each one of them a souvenir cork ornament and sent it to them.  In fact most of my friends and family have at least one signature box from our times together. 

A collection like this must be cared for.  I have to confess that each one is in its own box with a wallet-sized picture on it and the date that this memory took place.  They are in 3 glorious tubs of memories and absolutely the only part of my life that is organized.  If the house was on fire I would grab those first.  I would make sure my family was coming, but I would have them grab one on their way because I probably couldn’t carry all 3 by myself. 

Somehow seeing them only once a year makes the memories even sweeter.  Nothing has been collecting dust on the bookshelf or taken for granted.  Each memory is unveiled and remembered in its own cameo appearance.  When it is time to hang them up every year, I am thrilled that my kids like to hang them with me now.  Especially my son.  He is also a sentimental soul and remembers many of the stories and has his favorites that he requests to hang on the tree.  Many of the memories now include them.  I do it for me, but always hope someone else will appreciate them after I am gone.  I spend hours sitting next to my Christmas tree recounting tales and reminiscing with each ornament.  A record of a life well lived.  And a glimpse into what made their mother tic. 

I proudly watched my son help me sneak a set of plastic chopsticks into our backpack on a recent trip to New York to remember our lunch in Chinatown.  That will be a new addition to our Christmas tree this year.  As a parent, I like to think I am showing them how to cherish memories and not teaching my children how to steal.  I hope I will be forgiven for my misdemeanors.

But for the rest of the year, they are all stuck in plastic tubs next to the toilet paper waiting for their moment.  I’m sure the fork had no idea it would become a souvenir.  But I do hope it knows it is not just a souvenir, it is a Christmas ornament.  And in my book, there is no higher honor than that. 

©  2024 Sue Oakes

Sue Oakes likes to write about her adventures, both far away and close to home, with her husband and two kids.  She loves hearing a good tale almost as much as she enjoys telling one. Currently, she is completely engrossed in watching the Olympics and, of course, hearing the stories about all the athletes!