Before Christmas, my mom and I were out running errands and decided to stop at the Polish Art Center in Hamtramck. It is filled with so many beautiful handmade things. Because of my Polish heritage, I find the items that much more lovely (I guess it is a nostalgic sense of ancestral pride).
Hanging from the ceiling were dozens and dozens of tissue paper chandeliers, pajaki, as they are called in Poland. Most of them were brightly colored. However, there were a couple of faded beauties. I only saw price tags on the brightly colored pajaki. Even though they were reasonably priced for such an exquisitely detailed handcraft, they were a little out of my league (It was right before Christmas when I should be buying gifts for others!). On a whim I asked how much the faded ones were. The faded pajaki were a fraction of the cost of their bright cousins. The owner explained that traditionally, families replace the pajaki every year around Christmas. In other words, I was interested in what was clearly last year's model! Oh I felt so smug getting the chandelier that I thought was the most beautiful for a discount.
Even though it was a little difficult, I waited until after Christmas to hang my beauty. So, in honor of Glenn's January 9th birthday, up went the pajaki along with some paper garland I made. It looks so pretty!
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