Duyen and Joey, Boothbay Region High School sophomores and Memorial Library volunteers, have set out the safety scissors, glue guns, markers and the all-important glitter.  A pot of hot chocolate and plates of cookies are ready for young crafters to fill the room for the ornament workshop held last Saturday at the Memorial Library in Boothbay Harbor. They’ve added music, (“Jingle Bell Rock” and “Silver Bells”) and the songs set a perfect backdrop for reminiscing.

They share memories of boxes that are brought out of storage during the holiday season, boxes that are filled with years, sometimes generations, of decorations and ornaments and most importantly, family memories. Among the shiny glass balls, paper stars and tin toys, the most-treasured are the ones crafted years ago by their own tiny hands.

Duyen’s favorite is an owl crafted from a cardboard toilet paper roll and googly eyes. Joey can only speak wistfully about the ornaments he made as a child. They were ruined by mold while in storage, but he remembers a cardboard sled he crafted in kindergarten. He focuses on creating new ornaments to replace the ones he lost.

The memories of those handcrafted ornaments excite these two about helping others create their own. And the two hope that the young crafters they help today will do the same for others years from now.