Christopher and Noelle almost lose one of their favorite ornaments when it remains hidden in the Christmas tree branches and is thrown out with the old tree.

When a Boston gift shop is scheduled to be demolished on Christmas Eve, and its owner is found dead, a young and cynical reporter is sent to cover the story. What he uncovers on that mystical day turns out to be much bigger than he anticipated. This is a Christmas tale of faith and faith rewarded.

Kristen Fersovitch was a twenty-eight-year-old wife and mother of three boys under four when she was diagnosed with inoperable cancer and given only months to live. Ornament is the inspiring story of Kristen’s faith, joy and hope in the midst of hardship, heartache and loss. The book shares memories and beautiful photos from her home and performances in the Canadian Christmas event—the Edmonton Singing Christmas Tree. “She was beautiful and real and funny. She challenged us to live the best life we can—in the face of tragedy, in the face of despair. Not by telling us to, but by leading by example.” —Carrie Doll, CTV Ornament is a response to the many people who have asked, “How could I have a faith like Kristen’s?” Each chapter features an ornament from the Fersovitch family Christmas tree and an insight into Kristen’s relationship with God, which was characterized by faith in the face of adversity, joy in spite of circumstances, and hope that was rock solid. There is a practical application at the end of each chapter to help you grow in your own faith.

This text is a wide-ranging consideration of the cultural and symbolic significance of ornament, its rejection by modernism and its subsequent reinvention. Trilling explains how ornament works, why it has to be explained and why it matters.

In a wide-ranging and richly illustrated book, the authors begin by tracing the ways ornament has been used over the last five centuries, the rules of decorum and etiquette associated with it, and the social, moral and spiritual values it has represented. They examine how architecture set the agenda for ornament in the Renaissance, and how printed images carried a common vocabulary of ornament throughout the Western world. They survey the personal side of ornament, both in dress and in the domestic interior - a private expression of the self and a public statement of social and cultural status. They look at ornament in the public domain - from the lavish decoration and symbolism of a town pageant to the logos of today's corporate industry - and show how the ever-evolving role of ornament is to invent and embody the collective spirit of communities at work and at leisure. They conclude by discussing how the Western tradition of ornament has responded to and absorbed 'exotic' African and Asian motifs: Moresque motifs of the Near East and such familiar designs as the 'Paisley' and Willow" patterns.