When we moved into our new home, we were thrilled—except for one strange thing. In our yard stood a tree covered in blue glass bottles. At first, it unsettled us. My kids wanted to take them down, but I told them to wait. What confused us even more was realizing other homes in the neighborhood had the same thing.

Curiosity got the better of me, so I asked a neighbor about it. She smiled and explained, “They’re called bottle trees. They’ve been around for generations. Some say they’re meant to trap bad luck, others see them as a symbol of hope. For many of us, it’s a way of remembering loved ones.”

Suddenly, the bottles didn’t feel so strange anymore. They became a reminder that even in new places, traditions can hold stories and meaning. Now, when the sun shines through the blue glass, casting soft patterns on the ground, I feel grateful. What once felt eerie is now a quiet reminder that every neighborhood has its own history—and sometimes, the things that confuse us at first are the very things that make a place feel like home.

And now, instead of wanting to take the bottles down, my kids and I are talking about adding our own—so that one day, they too will remember this house not just as a place we lived, but as a place where we learned that beauty often hides in the unexpected.