A Special Christmas Tree

My daughter saved this gift for the last one of the evening on Christmas Day. (We wait and open gifts slowly on Christmas Night - after all the worship services are over, the dinner has been enjoyed and cleaned up, the candles are lit and soft carols playing on the iPod....and we take about 3 hours. It's lovely.)

She went out to the car since she had not wrapped this one....and presented me with the

Fisk Family Tree. 

Mounted on a wooden base which she covered with my favorite olive green in an embroidered taffeta fabric, the tree itself is made from wire - lots of it. Using 16 and 18 gauge wire, sequins and imagination, she wove a fanciful tree to hold amazing charms representing everyone in our family. Her cohort was Meridith, my daughter-in-law, who crafted charms symbolic of herself, our son, and their family of daughters. My daughter, Laura, made charms to represent Dale and me, plus herself and her husband, Aaron. The tree is accompanied by a scroll tied in ribbon with each person's first and second name, birthdate, the meaning of their names and a description of how the charms were selected.

It is simply fabulous. I'm sure we'll be adding charms to this tree for years as more grandchildren are born and they marry and have babies. Laura said she saw the idea in a Martha Stewart Living magazine, but Laura took it to another level.


Dale B. Fisk - Farmer of the valley
The key to this family and the cultivator "farmer" of music. The bells represent the music of your life, as well as the key to your home.

Lynette Yvonne Fisk - Little beautiful archer
The peacock feather represents an arrow, though more appropriately represents you, with an intricate, beautiful ring to show tenderness and creativity.

Jonathan McAdam - Gift of God
A box to represent a gift and a crucificix to represent the greatest gift God has given.

 (especially appropriate for Jonathan is a pastor.)

Meridith Elaine - Good friend with golden hair

A letter for a friend with the "M" seal on the closing to represent "Meridith".

Chloe Elkanah - Fruitful one created by God

A wedding couple, New Baby and New Arrival charms are hung on a diaper pin used on Chloe as a baby. This is all to show "fruitfulness". (Chloe is currently 6 years old.)

Anastasia Avielle - Resurrected one whose father is God

The butterfly is a symbol of resurrection and it is yellow because that is one of Anastasia's favorite colors. The cross shows "whose father is God" and is a pendant that Anastasia received when she was two. (She is currently 3 1/2.)

Trinity Promise - Baptism saves

Father, Son and Holy Spirit pendant for "Trinity" with a shell from our family trip to Ocean City, NJ, to represent baptism or "Promise". (Trinity is 18 months old.)

Unknown Baby Fisk - "Button"

The buttons are from Hungary - the place where this portion of the family tree began (Jonathan met Meridith when teaching English in Hungary.) When Button is born, we will replace the charm with something more personal, but the buttons can stay to represent any other people who may follow, Lord willing.

(The new baby, expected in June 2011, has been nicknamed "Button" by the girls. When their mother explained how small a newly forming baby is by holding her fingers about two centimeters apart, Chloe said "That's about as big as a button!"

 Laura Ruth - Loyal friend crowned with laurels

The leaf represents a love of nature, surrounding the image of a spritely woman. The ring is a baby ring also representing leaves and the Rose of Sharon.

Aaron Douglas - Exalted one from dark waters

The wire is a piece of Mig welding wire (from Aaron's current grad school projects) surrounding a Celtic knot showing his Celtic origins and a piece of padauk hardwood, which rises to the surface of even the deepest waters.