Showing posts with label Childhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Childhood. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Bunny


Every child has "it". At some point very early in one's life, an object is selected to become "it". A child could have many objects with similar or even superior qualities to "it"; however, all of these objects were passed over, discarded or ignored in favor of "it". There appears to be no rhyme or reason to the selection process but, once made, the choice is definitive and everlasting. I am speaking, of course, about a kid's soother. Most people fit into either one of two categories: stuffed animal people or blankie people. There are unique circumstances of other types of objects becoming "it", but we will focus on the two mainstays. What was I, you ask? Stuffed animal class... Musical variety... Bunny division.


Out of the three children in my house, two were stuffed animal kids and one was a blankie junkie. It's funny, but just over the holidays, I learned that Blankie Brother found the love of his life in a fellow blankie child. The wedding is in June. If there was a study of the human race that looked at what a person's "it" was compared to the "it" of his or her mate, do you think we all typically stay amongst our kind? If two people cross contaminate, is one class more dominant than the other in terms of the "it" of their offspring? These are important questions! I need to know if "blankie or bunny" is an important question for first dates!

Bunny (name as well as description) is bluish purple, sporting a smooshed head that perfectly fits against my face and, upon winding, sweetly plays "Teddy Bears' Picnic". I have no idea why a bunny would play a song about bears. It's a weird toy, but apparently that doesn't matter because I picked it as my "it"!  Bunny has made his way into my adult apartment and I'm not ashamed.



I was pondering these things while knitting a baby blanket for a friend's bun in the oven. The blanket is based off a pattern available on the Purl Bee blog called "super easy baby blanket". It is a simple blanket that showcases the colors chosen in chunky non-repeated blocks. I chose Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino yarn that is scrumptiously soft with a gorgeous selection of hues. While knitting the sixth of seven colors, I wondered if this blanket would be chosen as the "it". Each little nub my needles produced brought a new wish: maybe this blanket would be the calm during thunderstorms, the roof of a fort, the carpet of a playhouse, the cape of a magician, the secret stashed under a pillow at college and the first thing unpacked in a first apartment. It could be all of these things. Or it could be none of them... passed over for some cheap stuffed animal with polyester stuffing that plays songs about an entirely different animal species. One can never predict the future "it". But let us be real: it most likely won't be "it" because stuffed animals are way better than blankies anyway.


What was your "it"? 

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Do You Hear the Bell?


Christmas was not just a holiday in my house growing up: it was an institution, a frame of mind, and an over-the-top experience.

2012's Christmas Tree.
Growing up in a red-shuttered colonial in an idyllic suburb, our home turned into a Norman Rockwell when the weather would begin its chilly nosedive. My Mom was the main driver of this "real life snow globe" experience. Rules like "white lights outside, colored lights inside", "only play in the snow in the backyard", and "only the ugly cookies can be eaten by the family prior to Christmas Eve" can give you a small glimpse into the attention to detail my Mom had for creating the perfect atmosphere. It may sound a bit crazy, but it worked. To use a Polar Express reference, there was never a Christmas where I couldn't hear the ringing of Santa's sleigh bell.

I've made crazy rules now, too:
the angel is always last.
Now that I am an adult and living away from all other family members, it falls to me to create a holiday atmosphere for myself while working full time on a "still at the start of my career" salary. I have found what helps most for me are classic holiday movies, music, and family traditions. Nothing can get me out of a Scrooge state of mind like Frosty the Snowman (preferably the VHS from my childhood that also has the 1990 commercials recorded on it), Mannheim Steamroller, and hanging the ornaments on the felt advent calendar my Mom made decades ago. These comforts get me my Christmas mojo back just enough to take on bigger tasks like making my family's favorite caramel swirled chocolate covered pretzels, knitting presents, and decorating my tree.

These things are addicting.

I had a rocky start, but I think I'm there now- I can hear the bell. Can you?