Recently, I’ve received a handful of hand-me-downs. I used to pass up some things because the emotional value didn’t trump the fact that an item wasn’t my taste. But lately sentimentality is running high and my taste is evolving and I’m more than glad to receive most pre-loved items with a family history.

Items pictured include:

A hand knitted sweater and matching hat that my Great Grandmother made for my father when he was a teenager. (He rarely wore it due to it being such a heavy, itchy wool.)

A flannel jacket in need of a bit of mending that was my Uncle’s. Honestly, I didn’t know him well (due to geography) but I feel a family sentimentality for it nonetheless.

Some linens from my Mother. She says the blue one might have been given to her for her “something blue” but can’t remember specifically. The others were either from her Grandmother or picked up at a yard sale. Either way, her history alone with them and their aesthetic charm make them special to me.

The last isn’t a hand-me-down but rather a gift I re-found. A crochet afghan my Grandmother made me when I was little. I found it while rummaging around the basement. I washed it and put it on top of the quilt pile in my closet. The other night was a cold one so I grabbed it and unfolded it across my bed in the dark. The built up static caused it to spark a bit—something I remember being fascinated by with this blanket when I was kid.

What hand-me-downs do you have and cherish?

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