For me, home decor is an expression of our lives and a collection of our experiences. Sure, I could pull out the traditional red, white, and blue-themed decor, add a few flags and call it done. But this year, I wanted to create something a little different, something a little more meaningful. After all, when creating seasonal decor vignettes, I think they should tell a story. What better way to do this than to use patriotic heirlooms in Fourth of July decor?
Each Heirloom Tells a Story
Telling stories through heirlooms has become a bit of an obsession for me lately. As the “family historian,” I’ve been handed down trinkets and treasures that hold generations of stories. However, I’ve discovered that not all the stories are complete or accurate. As each generation passes, the stories get harder and harder to recollect. Perhaps it’s because I’m still in the middle of two generations, I feel a strong pull to connect the generation before me more fully with the generation after me.
This need to preserve stories is why this year, I decided to combine my Fourth of July decor with a few patriotic heirlooms that capture and share a glimpse of my mother-in-law as a little girl growing up in Winnetka, Illinois.
Adding Context to Old Stories Helps Keep the Alive
My mother-in-law gave me her many boxes of old photos when she moved nearby to what would be her last home. Often, when she would visit, we would go through and label old pictures so that these memories could be preserved and shared. I loved these visits and the stories she shared. I especially loved the stories of growing up near Lake Michigan in a charming town called Winnetka. It sounded like an idyllic childhood, with ice skating in the winter and big Fourth of July celebrations in the summer.
A few years before she passed, I found a documentary on the History of Winnetka by filmmaker John Newcombe. We made popcorn and watched this together as a family. She loved the 4th of July scene with all the kids’ races. Seeing this added context to the stories she remembered so fondly was so wonderful.
Adding this movie to these patriotic heirlooms will give future generations additional context to these trinkets and photos. Of course, this assumes that they will have some way to read this CD. But that is a problem for another day.
Knowing These Stories Saved these Patriotic Heirlooms
It wasn’t until after she passed away that I found these little medals. They were tucked away in a top bureau drawer, along with rolls of stamps and old batteries. I recognized these second-place medals for the 1942 and 1944 50-yard dash as a little reminder of a memory she loved, persevered, and shared. Separately, I found this brochure among her papers for the 1944 Fourth of July festivities.
Preserving these patriotic heirlooms and sharing them in decor helps us remember and share the memories she loved. I think they also add a nice opportunity to invite more story-telling in our family celebration, don’t you agree?
If you need a little help getting motivated to save your family stories, you can also read more about How to Safeguard Family Stories.
I hope you all have a wonderful Fourth of July.
