A Child’s Christmas in New Jersey

Memories of Angels, Fish, and Salute!

It’s a warm, sunny day in Hollywood — weather that still seems odd in December for this Jersey girl, and adds to an already unsettled feeling, amidst EVERYTHING ELSE. I close the curtains and curl up on the couch to gaze at the coffee table filled with a collection of Christmas stuff I’ve hauled in from the garage.

I haven’t decorated our bungalow for holiday times in who knows how many years. Like many transplants to California, winter holidays for my husband and me have become about flying back East to celebrate with family. Sure, I’d put a few things up to get in the spirit, and now, looking at the total haul of 30 years of marriage and earlier California Christmases, I realize I have a collection of angels. Yikes…Have I become one of those “Angel Ladies”?

Lots are from Via Gregorio Armeno in Naples, Italy, a beloved spot I’ve been visiting every year, (except this one!), to wander through artisan shops where nativity scene figures are made. And there’s a 1960s Pop Art style angel that topped my childhood family tree, from Mommy’s hipster phase, when she also bought a smiley face trash can and toilet seat decorated with pink polka-dotted daisies.