When Christy Hester, from Twin Lake, Michigan, lost her husband, Richard, in January, she had trouble parting with his glasses. However, recently, she decided to turn them into a unique remembrance ornament for the Christmas tree, and unbeknownst to her, the loving gesture went viral.
“My husband and I were married for 27 wonderful years,” Christy, a teacher, explained to The Epoch Times via Facebook messenger. “This loss has been so very difficult, especially trying to grieve during a pandemic.”
On Christmas morning 2019, Christy called an ambulance for her husband. He returned home under hospice care on New Year’s Day, his birthday, and died four days later.
While remembering her beloved husband, Christy shared, “I miss him so much! He was so loved.”
Wishing to turn his glasses into a meaningful ornament, Christy scoured Pinterest for inspiration. Using acrylic paint, pipe cleaners, and a black Sharpie, the crafty teacher turned Richard’s glasses into a jolly snowman for the family Christmas tree.
On completing the sweet ornament, Christy said: “There were lots of tears, but I think it’s healing.”
Surprisingly, Christy’s post went viral and has garnered over 22,000 reactions, and some thousands of people have taken to the comments section to share.
One social media user wrote: “Brings tears to my eyes. Thank you for sharing.”
While others thought the idea was really “creative” and shared pictures of converting their late near and dear one’s spectacles into Christmas ornaments.
On receiving such an unexpected reaction to her post, Christy told The Epoch Times: “I have been so incredibly overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support and prayers from those who were touched by my post,” adding she had no idea that the post would take off as it did.
The teacher strongly believes that with the holidays drawing near, most people are reminded of their special ones who are unfortunately no longer with them, adding, “I have felt my husband’s presence more strongly these past few days than I have since he passed on Jan. 5, 2020.”
