When our beautiful Austrian pine had put on yet another growth spurt, it left some of its lower branches depleted. Once they were dry and clearly dead, it was time to do some pruning. This is a task for my husband, since it requires strength and skill with shears.
Image: Karen Costello-McFeat
Branching out
Initially, we planned on using the wood to fuel our chimenea, but then my husband had a better idea. The branches were a couple of inches thick with attractive rings and just the perfect size for tree ornaments. So he went to work, sawing disks of equal size, drilling holes for ribbon and varnishing them for protection.
Crafting together
My husband loves a family activity and so do I – so we gathered our materials and dragged poor Mariia into the event. It was a rather dreary afternoon, so what better way to lift our spirits than in creating Christmas ornaments?
Acrylic pens seemed like the best options, so I gathered up our supplies from the craft room plus some paper to practise designs.
Having multiple people decorating meant we had varied motifs. In an hour or so, we were finished and had a rather lovely array of ornaments. They are not perfect, clearly, but good enough to send to family in the States and to give out to our Ukrainian guests at Thanksgiving: a little memento made with love.
Most of our ornaments were generic Christmas themes, but one or two, we made with a specific individual in mind. For Mariia, I made a peace in Ukraine one, which seemed fitting to the season.
Image: Karen Costello-McFeat
Tree preservation
Shorn of its dead branches and given a little more light and room to breathe, I hope that our beautiful pine will continue to flourish. And the branches we removed will live again on the Christmas tree and travel full circle – nothing wasted and everything gained.