Bringing Haiti Home For The Holidays

Decorating for Christmas is one of my favorite things to do: I have a blue and white living room so I usually go for a frosty Christmas theme, making it both festive and easy to transform the space. This year, decorating was extra special because Macy’s sent me two items from the Heart of Haiti Collection — a Grey Soapstone Bird Candle Holder and a gorgeous Metal Dove Ornament (pictured above). I absolutely love the Heart of Haiti Collection at Macy’s because the pieces are not only gorgeous, but handmade by Haitian artisans who receive sustainable income for their work. The holidays are all about helping one another and sharing the joy of the season, which this collection really speaks to for me: Macy’s created the Heart of Haiti Collection just after the 2010 earthquake hit Haiti as a way to help locals support their community. Artists were trying to get their goods on the market and many locals were still trying to rebuild so Macy’s found that if they employed just one artists the whole community could benefit. Macy’s Heart of Haiti program now employs 500 artists who in turn support more than 3,000 members of their extended family! Basically, having these pieces in my home really make my Christmas decorating complete.

I haven’t had the opportunity to get a Christmas tree yet this year, which made me realize just how important a tree is to me, and my Christmas morning with my family. I happened to have a small tinsel tree that I usually use just for decoration and am using that either until we get a real tree or until next year. It’s pretty, but a bit small for hosting my entire family at the house on Christmas day. I was feeling a bit deflated until I added the Heart of Haiti Metal Dove Ornament to the tree. It’s basically the tree’s shining star at the top, and represents all that Christmas is about — making a tree that was a bit of a disappointment one that feels complete. The ornament is also a white dove, which not only matches my decor but fits my living room theme, too (I have bird decals all along the walls!). It’s a gorgeous metal ornament that isn’t super light or breakable, but not too heavy that it would make the branches of your tree droop low. I’ve seen a lot of cute Christmas presents with ornaments wrapped with the bow on top, too, and this dove ornament would be perfect for that!

The Soapstone Bird Candle Holder Macy’s sent me also matches my living room theme and daily decor. It’s simplistic but simply breathtaking. I love birds (see the decals?) and this candle holder not only compliments my holiday table —which I love since I’m hosting Christmas breakfast for everyone this year— but it would look lovely on my table everyday! I tried this piece on my fireplace mantle and on a side table in the living room, too. It could pretty much fit anywhere in my home. This piece definitely has some weight to it, it’s solid, and I really like how the exterior is polished but the groove where you place a tea light is in a more natural unpolished state so that you can see what the material it’s worked from must have been like. The artist who made my Soapstone Bird Candle Holder, Nei, inscribed her name at the bottom, too, which makes it all the more amazing. (Macy’s has the bios for their Haitian artists online, but I couldn’t find Nei’s info.)

If you’re still looking for a few last-minute gifts, stocking stuffers or ways to complete your Christmas decorating I recommend heading over to Macy’s to see what they have in-stock in the Heart of Haiti Collection. Macy’s has a whole Gifts That Give Hope Collections that includes Heart of Haiti and Rwanda Path to Peace —which are both fair trade programs that benefit local artists and their communities— as well as FEED to benefit starving children. What amazing gifts these would be! Not only would your friend receive a gorgeous and unique item made by a passionate artist, but both of you would be supporting someone who in turn supports so many people in their community! I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to host these pieces in my home for Christmas — It’s given me another way to talk talk with my daughter about the true meaning of the season, and about people around the world. These pieces will definitely be talking points on Christmas with my extended family, too.

Update 12/23: The Metal Dove Ornament is sold out online, other ornaments are still available.

I am a member of the Everywhere Society and they provided me with this product for review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.