Jersey Shore Magazine

J e r s e y s h o r e • F A L L / H O L I D A Y 2 0 1 5 78 10 oz. Burgers & Grilled Steaks Fresh Fish Daily Jumbo Sandwiches & Salads Lunch Specials From $5.95 Sunday Champagne Brunch 11:00am-2:00pm Open 7 Days Lunch/Dinner 12 HD TV's & Satellites For All Sports Events 507 Washington Blvd. Sea Girt 732-449-2020 www.rodstavern.com HAPPY HOUR MON.-FRI. 4-6:30 10 oz. Burgers & Grilled Steaks Fresh Fish Daily Jumbo Sandwiches & Salads Lunch Specials From $5.95 Sunday Champagne Brunch 11:00am-2:00pm Open 7 Days Lunch/Dinner Food Served til 1:00am 11 HD TV's & Satellites For All Sports Events 414 Rt. 35 South Pt. Pleasant Beach 732-892-6000 www.frankiesbarandgrill.com HAPPY HOUR MON.-FRI. 4-6:30 Please refer to page 73 Please refer to page 74 HOME PORT THE FAMILY TREE, continued from page 82 Restoration Hardware still had a sense of humor. And here's the cornhusk Santa we got in Africa. The "first married Christmas" ornament, the "First House" ornament, the "Baby's first Christmas" ornament—all gifts. Two surviving binkies (pacifiers) I couldn't bear to part with, one for each child, threaded with ribbon and hanging on the tree. Springer spaniel ornaments, Pittsburgh Steelers orna- ments, Simpsons, Star Wars, Thomas the Train, and my husband's original ET ornament. A Jewish star, a star with the Korean word for "peace" in honor of an adoption, a 9/11 memo- rial ornament. Felt blue crabs for my husband's Maryland childhood. A glass ball filled with sand, shells, and remnants of the beach club (washed away by Sandy, now rebuilt but forever different) that had defined summer my entire life. Yes, it's an odd, eclectic collection. No rhyme, no reason. It's the story of us. Our family tree. Each ornament signifying a place, a person, a moment. All memories. All senti- mental. Beautiful to us, if not the rest of the world. Several nights after decorating our tree, I'm admiring my girlfriend's tree. There are adorable little dinosaurs and zoo animals dipped in bright glitter by her daughter. There are a variety of hedgehogs (a favorite of my friend) in all sizes and shapes. There are gor- geous, intricately stitched felt birds. There are many handmade treasures and trinkets. And I am enchanted. The tree is fun and unique and beautiful, just like my friend and her family. The very next night, I'm at the house of yet another very close friend. And again, I find myself drawn to her tree. There is the artist palette orna- ment I gave her (she is a painter), along with the garland of yarn balls for her knitting phase. There are all the personal, random ornaments that signify she and her daughter so well. I have the best time examining each little tidbit as we banter back and forth about the stories and memories of each one. She tells me her daughter commented to her, "Our tree's a little odd, isn't it, Mom?" Oh no, I think, it's oddly perfect. And all at once, I am struck by just how similar the Christmas trees are of me and my two best friends. Not in their actual ornaments, of course, but in their handmade, creative, and often humorous tokens of personal stories. Coincidence? I think not. For just as my tree tells the story of my family, all trees reflect their owners. Some are well planned, designer, and gorgeous. Some are minimalist. Some are drip- ping with tinsel (you know who you are). Some, like mine, are a tad old fashioned, definitely sentimental, and decidedly quirky. If I love my friends, it follows that of course I would love their trees. Of course I would find them enchanting. Of course I would find every odd and unusual ornament a beautiful expression of them. And then I realize the beauty of my own tree in a whole new way. It doesn't just have strange beauty to my family. It's equally beautiful to my friends because they know and love me, my family, and the story that is us. And there it is: my tree isn't stun- ning or designer. It isn't coordinated. Not all of it glitters. Some of it is even ugly. (Yes, we even have a horseshoe crab ornament.) It is far from any- one's aesthetic ideal, even my own. But when you put it all together, my how it sparkles! u Christine Menapace is a freelance writer and a long time contributor to this magazine. She lives in Keyport. Kosobu

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