Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni Japan -- Spouses of Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron came together to create ornaments, Dec. 5, 2013, in the community room of Building 655 aboard Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan.
The event hosted approximately 30 spouses and was put together as a way for spouses to build relationships with one another.
Jessica Guthrie, ornament crafting event coordinator, said she was asked by Kate West, family readiness officer for H&HS, to host a holiday crafting get together, so she came up with the idea to create ornaments with a Japanese flare.
Participants created ornaments by cutting decorated paper, curling it around a chopstick, inserting the curled paper into a clear ornament, and adding glitter and a tag with kanji as the final touch.
“I found some kanji rubber stamps that we used to create these tags that say joy, love, happiness or harmony, those are all things we want to enjoy this holiday season,” said Guthrie. “It has been a really popular craft. It’s something you can do in about an hour and a half and everyone has a really good time.”
Some spouses said they plan to use the ornament as a gift for someone special during this holiday season.
“Christmas gifts don’t have to be expensive and impersonal,” said Guthrie. “Anybody can get online and find something cute, clever and simple to make. Ornaments can be so cheap, yet look so good.”
The process of making an ornament may be brief, but the final product is something family members can reflect on for years to come.
West, who is leaving Iwakuni soon, said the ornament will bring her to tears in the future when she reflects on the memories of Iwakuni.
Some spouses stationed here see a special need for events such as this during the holiday season.
“We are so far away from our family that it’s a good time to get together with your friends and your distant family and enjoy yourself,” said West. “It kind of fills that void of being able to get together with family.”
After spouses worked diligently for approximately an hour and a half, beautiful ornaments resulted as the fruits of their labor.