Each Christmas my husband, Walter, and I are surrounded by familiar faces from all over. They aren’t exactly friends who’ve traveled near and far. They’re more than that—they’re angels. Really.
It started in 1958 when we made a pact to travel as much as we could with our two young daughters. Don’t get me wrong, money was tight! I was an aide in the high school cafeteria and Walt worked in a factory. But we scrimped and saved and put aside money from each and every paycheck.
After a road trip to the Pennsylvania countryside, Walter surprised me with a gift: an angel ornament crafted from white yarn. She was beautiful—with impressive gold wings and a glittering crown. “I wanted you to have a reminder of our vacation,” he said. “And she just jumped out at me.”
That’s when I got a vision: “What about a whole tree of angels? One from every place we visit!”
Over the years, our angel tree grew: a ceramic cherub from the Blue Ridge Mountains, a seashell angel from Hawaii, lace beauties from Washington State. Walt often teased me for piling them all toward the front of the tree. But I didn’t want any angels to be missed!
A few years ago Walt came home with a smaller tree—one that wasn’t so difficult for us to manage now that we’re in our golden years. After we decorated it he flipped a switch. “Surprise!” he said.
Just like that, the tree rotated—displaying our entire collection of angels! And the best Christmas gift of all are the memories we have shared along the way
Download your FREE ebook, Angel Sightings: 7 Inspirational Stories About Heavenly Angels and Everyday Angels on Earth.
