As a girl growing up in New Orleans, one of my favorite holiday craft projects was melted bead ornaments. I’m giving away my age by saying that, because I can remember when carnival throws included loose plastic beads on string. In those days everybody had grocery bags full of them in the attic!

We would pop the string and let the beads roll off into a pie tin. Sorting by color, we separated the beads into small cups while planning our designs. Anything Mom would allow us to put into the oven became forms for the ornaments. Jar lids, Easy Bake oven tins-you name it.

When our bead jewels came out of the oven, we worked fast to put the hanger loop into the hardening plastic. Opaque and clear, reds, greens, yellows and blues-the ornaments were beautiful, in that “I made this for you, Mom” way.

To this day I can’t get the awful smell of melting beads out of my mind. That memory and a few of the ornaments that are tucked away in my attic are all that remain of a long-gone treasured tradition that has given way to new ones.

In this issue, on page 44, we offer suggestions for starting new holiday traditions. There are also directions for making your own snow folks; pictures of beautifully decorated mantels to inspire you; and recipes for luscious desserts. We hope they will add to your enjoyment of this special season and fill you with its spirit-and that 2004 brings you many blessings.

p.s. I hope we don’t get lumps of coal!

Copyright 2003, M&L Publishing, all rights reserved.