Maurizio's little Christmas trees are the ones that stay. Not disposable decorations: these are made of terracotta, white, handmade one at a time in the workshop in Altomonte.
 
The shape is that of a stylized fir tree, with branches that open from the bottom toward the tip. Maurizio shapes them by hand with clay, then glazes them white before firing. Each little tree is slightly different from the next: the proportions shift a little, the glazing has its own variations. That is what makes them handcrafted, not mass produced.
 
They sit on a dresser, a bookshelf, the kitchen table. Alone or in a group, they create a corner of Christmas that never shouts. A quiet white, a simple shape, a material that lasts.
 
They are used at Christmas. And they often stay out afterward too, because they still look right.
 
A handmade Christmas. One that doesn't need lights to be noticed.