As one year ends and a new one is about to begin, many of us take this time to reflect on our lives. We revisit childhood memories and make plans for the future. We unite with loved ones for the holidays and new memories are made.

In the poem An Early Gift, we are reminded of the timelessness of Christmas. Although we didn’t have virtual fireplaces at the time, this poem still managed to take me back to my childhood Christmases. Many years from now someone will feel the same nostalgia about memories made this year, possibly in front of a virtual fireplace.

Decorating the Christmas tree with ornaments is a time-honored tradition. These decorations can be as hi-tech as this year’s Hallmark® ornament that digitally counts down the minutes until Christmas or as unique as the hand crafted Sea Urchin ornaments featured in this issue of MUSED. The poem My Snowman shows us how these ornaments are small time capsules holding our most precious memories.

With today’s controversy over immigration laws making the news, Americans is a timely story which gives us a different point of view. A family struggles with the transition from the beloved culture of their past to their newly adopted American culture. In A Death Foretold we experience radical cultural beliefs that are a world apart from our own.

Fed Up is a vivid description of the isolation and loss of self-esteem characteristic of an abusive relationship. This story reminds us of the importance of family and friends. In Wearing My Dead Mother’s Clothes the author reflects on the emotional connection she feels to the objects that once filled her mother’s life. Her connection to these tangible objects fades over time but her memories of her mother are intangible and everlasting.

Happy Holidays,

Diane Cipollo
Art Director