Childhood Chrismon Memories

By eve respess

I learned about Chrismons as a child in Sunday School.

One Sunday early in December, our teachers announced that we would be working on a special project for our church – we were going to help create Chrismon ornaments. As children we laughed, thinking the teachers were mispronouncing the word Christmas, but no, the teachers explained that Chrismon is a Latin word meaning Christ’s monogram. It was used by early Christians to share their faith. The Chrismons were to be made of gold and white materials – gold for God’s glory and white for God being the Light of the World.

For several weeks we came to Sunday School and worked away with glue, scissors, and gold and white materials. We created crosses and doves and learned from our teachers as the Chrismons came to life in our little hands.

But our project was not complete. We were to go to “big” church and help hang our newly created ornaments on one of two Chrismon trees.

It was a special time to carry our own Chrismon into the Sanctuary, seeing our families gathered and waiting for our presentation. As I handed my Chrismon to the men waiting to receive our precious creations, I was beside myself with joy.

Fast forward to 1991 and I found myself spending more time at the church doing various jobs. I was asked to join a committee to refurbish the original Chrismon ornaments. This, for me, was a God-thing. From sitting at my Sunday School table as a child, using glue and beads creating a beautiful, meaningful ornament to sitting at a table with adult church friends, using glue and beads to repair these special Chrismons, I could not help but wonder – could I have been repairing some of my own creations from many years ago?

Oh, the joy of being a member of Peachtree Road since childhood!