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FeedMaking Memories
A family decks the halls with tradition
By Andrea Grazzini Walstrom
Photo by john christenson
Gayle, an interior designer at Gabbert’s Design Studio, misses few details as the lush garland, endless candles, and oversized pinecones find their places. But if she does, the girls, who anticipate the special touches every year, let her know.
You see, the twinkle lights, the mercury glass ornaments, and the vintage tree decorations represent far more than meets the eye. For the Crummers, the adornments are about tradition—evoking happy Christmases past for Gayle and Flip and making childhood memories for their daughters.
Like the rich traditions that inspire this warm atmosphere, the Crummers’ holiday look has taken time to create. “I started with one single, thick strand of staircase garland,” says Gayle, who invests in only a couple of quality pieces each year rather than loading up on less-costly materials that won’t stand the test of time. In the near-decade since the family moved to this home, pinecones, ribbons, berries, rose and lemon leaves, and a hefty pine swag have been wired into the garland, making it a stunning backdrop for the home’s holiday décor.
Photo by John Christenson
The family room, which is dense with decorations, is the heart of the holiday design. “It’s a bit crowded in here,” says Gayle, pointing out the 10-foot tree nestled in a corner. But the room where the family spends most of their time can handle the additional festooning: It’s the place for creating—and reliving—holiday memories.
“I’ve really modeled the tree on what I grew up with as a child,” says Gayle. “It was always a live tree with white lights and collected ornaments.” The Crummers’ own collection of ornaments fills the Frasier fir—each one with its own story. Here’s a tulle-clad ballerina that was a childhood gift to Gayle from her great aunt; there’s a champagne bottle signifying a Millennium party the couple hosted. Over here are corncobs from Flip’s home state of Nebraska and even handmade noodle ornaments from the girls.
Photo by John Christenson
Like the ornaments that deck the tree, the Crummers’ holiday traditions come from both sides of their extended family. On Christmas Eve, Gayle helps her mother make a shrimp appetizer recipe from a restaurant she and Gayle’s father enjoyed when they were first married. A big open house on Christmas Day for friends and neighbors replicates Flip’s family tradition. Christmas dinner recalls Gayle’s family menu of beef tenderloin and twice-baked potatoes. And from Flip’s childhood comes the annual filming of the children’s gleeful descent—youngest to oldest—down the stairs on Christmas morning. A palm-sized camcorder replaces the hefty movie camera and blinding lights of old.
“We’ve started our own traditions, too,” says Gayle. To kick off the season, the girls build a gingerbread house before any decorations go up. Christmas Eve the family attends an early church service, during which the girls play parts in the Nativity pageant. Christmas Day the family visits the residents at Lake Minnetonka Care Center where Flip volunteers, bearing small gift bags and treating residents to a mini-concert with Gayle’s father on the banjo accompanied by Georgi on the violin.
Holiday spirit in the Crummer household lingers well past December; Gayle doesn’t even begin taking down Christmas decorations until late January. “It’s so sad to take it all down,” she says with a sigh.
When the girls were younger, says Gayle, holiday happiness was all about the presents. But each year as she puts the Christmas decorations up, memories of her earliest Christmases in Milwaukee come flooding back. “You start to reflect on your own childhood,” she says. She and Flip want to recreate cherished memories to connect their daughters—named for a grandmother and for a great-grandmother—with their history and to create new memories along the way. It isn’t toys received that Gayle remembers while she’s decorating. “It is the little things,” she says. “The games we played, the things we ate, what we did.”
For the Crummer family, these remain the richest gifts of all.
Andrea Grazzini Walstrom is a Burnsville freelance writer.
Holiday Hints
Gayle Crummer, an interior designer at Gabbert’s Design Studio, does holiday decorating that could overwhelm even the jolliest troop of elves. She’s learned some tricks that make the task more manageable. A few of her secrets:On Banisters. Rug-grip pads, cut to fit beneath garland and tied with hemp, work great to protect banisters and keep decorations from slipping.
Under Mantels. Cup hooks screwed under the mantel hold swags tightly in place. Mark each spot with a small piece of tape, so you know where to put them next year.
Buy quality. Rather than stock up on inexpensive trinkets, invest in quality pieces that will work well together and hold up through the years.
Be patient. A good cache of quality decorations can take years to amass.
Prioritize. “I buy the store-bought cookie dough,” says Crummer. Know what can give, so you won’t meltdown over the small stuff.
—A.G.W.
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