I remember giving this interview, but then forgot to check for the article. I only found out about it because a buddy sent it to me, mocking me for being referred to as a "Region Notable". When he's right, he's right. That is pretty funny.
I don't exactly measure up to the other people quoted in the piece: Second City & SNL alum Tim Kazurinsky, Indiana Senator-Elect Joe Donelly, Senator Dan Coats, Sculptor Fritz Olsen, Broadway actress Martha Cares, and Nelson Riddle's daughter.
But here's my part of the story...
"Rick Kaempfer, author, free-lance writer and blogger, couldn’t tell us about just one ornament. Before he and his wife, Bridget, were married in November 1991, their wedding guests teamed up to deck their halls.
“Because we were getting married so close to Christmas, someone suggested that everyone bring a Christmas ornament in addition to a traditional bridal gift,” he said.
The idea was, Kaempfer explains, that their first Christmas tree together "would be filled with personal memories, even though we had only been married for a month."
“I was touched by that 21 years ago, but I'm even more touched by it now," he said. "When we open our box of Christmas decorations every year, all of those ornaments are still in our collection. With each ornament we put on the tree, we're reminded of the family we're still so lucky to have with us, but we're also reminded of our precious departed grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and friends. Every Christmas season they are with us again, if only on our tree."
“Those aren't just decorations to us — they are memories. It's one of the reasons why the day we decorate the tree is among our most anticipated and cherished days of the year.”
As Catherine Johns mentioned to me on Facebook: "What a sentimental story, you region notable, you. I kept waiting for the wisecrack."
I'm sorry, Catherine. Sometimes my German heritage gets the best of me. We are known for our sentimentality and warmth, right?
