Snoopy is one of the many ornaments adorning the Christmas tree in the Strum Library.Some ornaments decorating the tree are over a decade old.Strum Library has a Christmas tree decked out with 50 years of ornaments made locally.

A half-century of Christmas joy

Hand-sewn ornament set on display at Strum Public Library

by Doug Sands
Contributor

Holiday visitors coming to the Strum Public Library this season will be able to share in a collage of ornaments spanning 50 years in the local area. 

Adorning the Christmas tree at the library are fifty hand-sewn Christmas ornaments dating all the way back to the 1960s. Each ornament was meticulously created by community member Clarice Bergerson, a woman whose dedication to holiday cheer has shown through the years.

Dawn Hering, a library technician for nine years, explained that Bergerson began making hand-sewn ornaments in 1963. She continued making the ornaments for 50 years, putting out a new ornament to her collection every year.

This year, Bergerson delivered a personal set of these ornaments to be put on display at the Strum Public Library. Hering did as she requested, decorating the library tree with all 50 of the ornaments. She included a small tag on each piece to let curious community members know in what year each ornament was made.

The very first ornament--a hobbyhorse with a peppermint stick body--started the ball rolling on the personal project that lasted five decades. Though the peppermint stick has long since turned brittle, the love in that first ornament still shines through.

It is hard to say whether or not the hobbyhorse itself has special meaning to Bergerson herself. Hering believed the hobbyhorse was simply a design that Bergerson saw at a craft show in 1963. 

“She saw it, and she liked it,” Hering said. “Somebody suggested that she should make them for all of her family. That’s where the tradition started.”

Bergerson had no children to give ornaments to, so she made ornaments for her nieces and nephews, as well as other relatives within her family. The annual Christmas project took serious dedication and patience to create, as there were plenty of ornament sets to work toward; Bergerson made a total of 112, her last ornament in 2012.

Each individual ornament took plenty of time to stitch together as well. 

“There’s probably a couple hours in each ornament, at least, to hand-sew all of the details on,” Hering said. “It’s all hand-sewn; nothing is glued on. It’s a lot of work, and a lot of love.”

Though small in size, these ornaments all hold a treasure trove of tiny details. Ornaments such as the 1983 Sunbonnet Girl--with its lace edges and snowflake accents--were delicately sewn together using great care. Other ornaments, such as the 1972 reindeer, proudly display tiny beads and sequins that catch the lights off of the tree itself. Hering stressed that each of those tiny details were sewn on. Even currently in her 80s, Bergerson’s acute eye for sewing helped her to sew the minute seed beads onto her final ornament. 

“I couldn’t even see well enough to sew that,” Hering said.

There are a number of other ornaments on the tree, each with their own unique meaning. In 1997, Bergerson created a Packers football to celebrate Green Bay’s Super Bowl victory in 1996 as well as their return the following year. In 2011, Bergerson sewed another Packers football to celebrate their Super Bowl XLV victory. This second Packers football would be the second-to-last ornament she would create.

Other themes on the tree include celebrations of the area’s unique Norwegian heritage. Bergerson herself is proudly Norwegian, and her dedication to her heritage shines through in the details on both the Norwegian flag and Viking ship ornaments.

Bergerson also sewed an ornament to commemorate Wisconsin’s sesquicentennial celebration in 1998. 

The final ornament in the entire collection was made in 2012. The gold crown, a simple symbol of Bergerson’s faith in the traditional Christmas story, offered a soft resolution to the 50-year long story she created with these ornaments.

The ornaments as a whole range from religious Christmas images--like the star and camel ornaments--to traditional holiday decorations, such as the snowman, toy soldier and Santa Claus. Notable characters like Snoopy have also found their way into Bergerson’s sets.

Everyone who views these ornaments may find their own favorite piece in the great mosaic that Bergerson has created. 

“I love Bucky Badger,”Hering said. “He’s so darn cute.”

Workers and visitors have remarked that the ornaments have added a great amount of cheer to the library. 

“I was very blessed by having these ornaments,” Hering said. “I will enjoy them this year, and maybe they will come back next year.”

The effort put into each handcrafted ornament reminds those who view them why the holiday season is so special. 

“This is what Christmas is about: love and sharing, non-commercial things,” Hering said. “We need a little happiness in our Christmas; we need good stories.” 

The ornaments themselves provide stories for all who are touched by their holiday cheer. All in the community are welcome to view Bergerson’s work at the Strum Public Library and share in the sentiment that, with a little bit of appreciation, these ornaments help hold dear the true meaning of the holiday season.

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Sands has been a student writer and contributor for nearly two years. When not writing for the newspaper or taking classes at Eleva-Strum, Sands can be found taking part in a nearby musical production or reconstructing the past with friends in history club. Follow us on Twitter or check out our Facebook page for more updates!

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