& according to superstition, the day by which all Christmas decorations must be packed away!
the first ‘Storytelling
Sunday’ of 2013…
…courtesy of Sian over
at ‘From High In The Sky’
This year, Sian has invited us all to pick our precious items & share their stories on the first Sunday of each month.
Mums Musical Box
The very first thing that came to mind was something that is older than I am & belonged to my Mum. As a little girl I would spend a lot of time playing with this very ordinary item, that seemed magical to me then!
I always thought of it as a musical jewellery box. It has a key in the lower roof that still makes a very pleasing ratchet sound as it’s wound & then plays a very pretty tune, quickly at first & then more slowly as the mechanism winds down!
It’s a little Swiss chalet with rocks on the roof & flowers in the window box & those two little red toadstools used to fascinate me! I used to imagine what the inside would be like if I could only open up that little wooden door? Silly really, as the whole roof lifts on hinges & I could easily see my Mums earrings & trinkets inside!!
Those two wooden pine trees were originally painted green but have faded over the years! This little house was the backdrop to many imaginative games I would play, seated at my Mums dressing table in the bay window of my parents bedroom.
When my Mum passed away in 1994, it was the thing I asked my Dad for as a keepsake & I learned that it was, in fact, a cigarette box & was the first gift he ever bought her, when they were courting. The tune it plays is ‘Night & Day’ which was their tune & now, of course, I recognise it & can sing along!
As my boys grew up, it sat on my dressing table & they were allowed to play with it too, carefully of course, because it is so precious!
So that’s my first story for 2013…why not pop over to ‘From High In The Sky’ & share your precious story…& check out some of the other great stories there too…you’ll be glad you did!!
Thanks for stopping by…Happy New Year…& come back soon!
16 comments:
I love the idea of heirlooms that have not necessarily got any monetary value but are more precious than anything in terms of the treasured memories they represent. Thanks for sharing your story
I love the music these boxes play. Thanks for sharing this precious story with us.
Happy 2013. Cheers from Bordeaux, France
My MIL has a very similar one which my kids loved playing with when they were little.
I think items that belonged to our mothers are frequently our most cherished possessions.
That is a lovelt story - and such a treasure to have - thank you for sharing. J xx
I agree with Jacky, something from our mothers, are so often treasured. I am sure something from my mother will feature in Sians new SST. I love your story, especially the line about wondering what the inside would be like if only you could open that door.... beautiful.
Oh, it really is lovely! I would completely have been there with you, wondering about what was behind the door. I can remember my aunt bringing back a little Swiss chalet viewfinder thing for my sister..and I would have liked it for myself. Quite a lot actually! So I think this one is magical.
Thanks for sharing your "precious" with us today Sandi - it's great to have you back in 2013
I can imagine the stories that you made up around this little house, what a lovely keepsake. What a lovely story.
Oh how lovely. I have one on my keepsake shelves, it's story will have to wait but I too used to sit and wonder about the people who lived inside - Heidi I always figured :) Glad that you have it and let your kids play with it carefully of course.
Your mother's precious box will no doubt stir a memory or two in all of us today. How lovely that you still treasure it and know that it was the first gift from your father to your mother and meant so much. A precious story indeed.
How sweet of your mother to allow you to play with her Swiss chalet music box. She probably felt the same way as you do not seeing your children play with it.
I love that your precious has been enjoyed by generations. Even in America, my grandmother had a box with a picture of a Swiss Chalet.
beautiful memory. thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your story. It has reminded me that my Grandma's Jewlery Box (a big wooden thing that has been in storage for 4 years) has a music box in it. I am going to have to go and check out if it still winds. As a kid I would wind it up and listen to it. Nothing quite so flash as your swiss chalet though :-)
How lovely that you played with it as a child & your children did the same :)
Many thanks for sharing x
I got all teary reading this, thinking about the precious things I asked for when my mom passed away.
Thanks for sharing,
Rinda
Lovely story, Sandi. It must have been really comforting to hear the origin of the box from your dad. Didn't your mum tell you ? Do your boys know ?
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