One of my speaking topics around the Christmas season is A Williamsburg Christmas. I talk about the Grand Illumination and demonstrate how to use natural materials and fresh fruits in Christmas decorations. All of this stems from a lovely Christmas gift from my husband years ago--a trip to Williamsburg in December.
Throughout the years following that trip, when I decorated for the holidays, I faithfully used all I learned on that trip. Then came the first Chrismas after we adopted our two youngest children. They were five and six years old when they became part of our family.
I made my usual arrangement of fresh greens and fruit on the dining room table. The greens formed a gentle S shape radiating from a grouping of candles in the center. Along the greens, I placed apples, pears, oranges, pinecones, and mixed nuts. Halfway through the Christmas season I would refresh the fruit and use the older pieces in a fruit salad or baking.
One night we were expecting guests for dinner. As I began to set the table, I noticed something different about the fruit in my arrangement. I blinked. Sure enough, someone had taken a bite out of each piece and placed it back on the table again! There was no time to replace the fruit so I just turned it over and hoped my guests wouldn't examine it closely.
I was pretty sure I knew who the culprits were although there was no telling if my three older boys might have done it to be funny. Whoever did it created a wonderful Christmas memory--one that has brought many smiles throughout the years since.
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