The One Where We Broke 11 Snow Globes

One thing my husband and I started when we first got together was a tradition of exchanging a snow globe and a Christmas village.

I remember one day as a young girl visiting a family friend’s house and admiring the collection they had accumulated over the years. All throughout their home there were various displays of Christmas villages – little towns and people that seemed to tell a story. I would always remember the vast collection and how enchanting they looked when they became a magical Christmas town. When their tiny lights turned on, the whole village came to life and were truly something to behold.

As much as I’ve always loved Christmas villages, my husband has always loved snow globes. They, too, are a little story waiting to be told to any onlooker who gets to experience their magical glitter dome and tiny song.

I remember the first snow globe I received was from my Nana. It was a Jim Shore snow globe of carolers in a little dome huddled together dressed like something from a Dickens novel. The tune “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” softly played when the crank was gently turned. My Nana enclosed with it a note that said, “For you to have in your own home when I am an old … older woman someday.” Every time I hear “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” play, I think of that snow globe and my Nana.

My husband and I both decided that we would exchange a snow globe for him and a Christmas village for me each year.  And each year since then, that is how we have kicked off our holiday season. I remember the first snow globe I gave him was a beautiful Santa sitting on a green base to the tune of “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas.” He gave me a church and each year we’ve added to our collections.

Fast forward 12 years, this past April and I’m standing at our kitchen sink and hear the garage door; my husband is home from work. I noticed what sounded like a large crash sound. I fling open the back door to see if he ran over something in the garage. After all, this was a really loud sound. He tells me I’m merely dramatic, and after coming inside and going upstairs to change, he quickly realizes the origins of the sound I heard. It wasn’t the garage; it was 11 snow globes that had collapsed a shelf in our master closet.

When we bought our home, we assumed (Yes, I know. Please spare me. I know what happens when you assume.) that the shelves had been hung by the studs and could easily support the weight of the winter wonderland we had been collecting. Nope, the former brainiacs threw up shelves into drywall and we were too stupid to double-check before placing our cherished items on it. What came next was a grave realization of the magnitude of what had been lost. Glitter, glass, and water was everywhere–it looked like a stripper took a shower in our closet with the amount of water and glitter on our floor. My normal self would have had a full-blown blackout laced with obscenities, to the point of dizziness at this mess. That wasn’t the case though.

We silently cleaned, vacuumed, and carefully picked up the mess and memories. My husband was sad at the loss and so was I. Fortunately, not all of them perished in the fall, but 11 of them did. I held my breath to see if my one from Nana made it. Unfortunately, it was one of the casualties. I made it my mission to try and remedy this as much as possible. I started replacing some of our most cherished ones. My husband’s collection isn’t what it once was, but he’s got a decent start, and we will continue to rebuild. It’s life. I was able to find my exact snow globe from Nana and replaced it, too. I still have her note and the original box.

Since having children, we’ve brought them in on the experience, and in addition to our exchange of the snow globe and village, they each get a special ornament. Mary always gets a special Santa ornament and Pat gets a snowman ornament. I imagine one day when they move out and start on their own, they’ll have their first tree and it will be filled with their special ornaments, each dated with a year. That’s really what this time of year is anyway – it’s about traditions and making memories to take with you.

I’ve also learned how to use a stud finder and make sure to never put anything precious on a shelf without first checking to make sure the shelf is in studs.

Megan Rathz is a wife, mother, and teacher. She says everything she has ever learned in life came from her Master Gardener mother.