The Lost Ornament
By Jayden Wong
Tommy stared out the window of his grandmother’s quaint little bungalow, watching the snowflakes dance gracefully to the ground. Outside, the cozy, snow-covered town adorned with Christmas tree lights slowly lit up, one by one. It was supposed to be “the most wonderful time of the year”, yet Tommy didn’t even feel the slightest elation. How could he, when his parents went on vacation and dumped him at his Grandmother’s bungalow every single year?
Knowing that he couldn’t stare out the window forever, he decided to explore the little bungalow. “Granny, can I go up to the attic? I’m bored,” said Tommy. Granny was busy knitting a scarf on the sofa, her needles moving in a flurry.
“Sure, dear. Just be back before dinner. Oh, while you’re up there, can you get the Christmas ornaments for the tree?” asked Granny. Tommy nodded and went upstairs.
As Tommy climbed the creaking attic stairs, he wondered about Granny’s past. Tommy’s mother told him once that when Granny was young, she used to be an actress for famous movies. Tommy struggled to imagine a young Granny. She had wrinkles all over her face, and powdery hair, but she didn't need a cane to walk around, unlike most grandmothers.
When he opened the attic door, a swirl of dust exploded around him, shrouding him in a thick veil of dead air. It was clear no one had come up to the attic for years. There were many things all packed in boxes, some labelled “books”, “newspaper”, and “toys”. Interested, Tommy opened the newspaper box to see different newspaper clippings, with headlines like “Beatrice Irene shocks crowds”, “This year’s Oscar award goes to Beatrice Irene”, and “Famous actress does it again!”. The woman in the photos looked familiar… Wait! Tommy tried to recall a recent memory. Wasn’t Granny’s last name Irene? Could that be her?
As he continued to explore the attic, he finally found a box labelled “Christmas ornaments”. Tommy carefully opened the box revealing a treasure trove of ornaments. Shiny stars, delicate snowflakes, and other colorful decorations sparkled despite the lack of light. But one ornament caught his eye - a heart-shaped glass ornament, slightly dusty but still radiant. It was unlike any of the others, and he felt a strong aura radiating from it.
Intrigued, Tommy brushed off the dust and rushed downstairs. “Granny, look what I found!” he exclaimed, holding up the heart-shaped ornament. Granny’s eyes widened, and for a moment, her face lit up with a mixture of surprise and nostalgia.
“Oh, Tommy, that ornament belonged to your grandfather,” she said, her voice trembling with emotion. “It was one of his favorites. We used to hang it on the tree every year.”
At that moment, Tommy realized the importance of this ornament - it wasn’t just a decoration; it was a symbol of love, family, and cherished memories. He felt a sense of warmth and connection to this family he hadn’t experienced before.
“Let’s hang it on the tree together,” he suggested, a burst of excitement bubbling within him. Granny smiled through her tears and nodded. Together, they carefully placed the heart-shaped ornament on the highest branch of the tree, where it caught the living room lights perfectly.
As they stepped back to admire their work, the room filled with a golden glow, and Tommy suddenly felt the magic of Christmas surrounding him. It was as if the spirit of his grandfather was there with them, filling the air with love and joy.
That evening, as they sat at the dinner table, feasting on a ginormous Christmas dinner, Tommy listened intently to his grandmother’s tales, about previous Christmases, her stories about her acting career, and how she met Tommy’s grandfather. The warmth of the moment made him feel—for the first time—truly connected to his family’s history.
“I was still 28 when I met him. He was working backstage at the time, and when I left after a particular rehearsal, he came up to me and asked for a date. Not long after, he proposed, and we became a happy couple. We were in a lot of movies together, often posing as a couple. The whole acting career was fun, but I only stopped when your mom had you,” said Granny with a wistful glint in her eye. Tommy had never felt it before, but he now understood what it meant to be fully tied into his family’s history.
From that day on, even though he couldn’t spend Christmas with his parents, Tommy looked forward to spending Christmas at his grandmother’s bungalow. The heart-shaped ornament became a treasured part of their holiday traditions, reminding them both that love never fades, and the memories they made that fateful Christmas will never be forgotten.