Haven't you heard the song "Puff the Magic Dragon". The song is about a toy dragon that the kid played with when he was little but discarded when he grew older.
Maybe I never listened to the words? I do remember hearing the suggestion that the song is really about smoking pot (or other drugs?). Just another example of how what we "know" can vary greatly.
It certainly speaks to the idea of staying curious and asking questions!
Christmas tradition growing up was a tree decorated one at a time by the kids and using only hand made and "special" decorations.
Each kid took turns one decoration at a time. Each with a story and memory.
Its fun to think in terms of the decorations' story and to be reminded of how tradition builds family/community and reliability and confidence can also come from things we leave in boxes 10 months of the year.
Thanks Bob--Are you talking about your childhood? Do you carry the tradition forward with your kids?
I too like many memories attached to our Christmas ornaments! The last couple of years I've sent a picture/text to friends of ornaments they gave me.
Synchronicity--this morning on my walk I was thinking about family culture and how shared memories--and building memories together is what builds and strengthens connection.
Nicely done! I like the composition of the reindeer image.
Your writing brought back childhood memories of our decorations. Tri-candle sets, each of a different height, adorning windowsills, red bulbs glowing. Strings of tree lights incorporating “candles” that began to bubble after being turned on for a while.
Icicles that were carefully placed after other ornaments were hung, then carefully removed for reuse the next time. Glass bulbs seeming so delicate that a firm grasp would crush them!
And plastic Rudolphs placed here and there on the tree. Now all residing in the dustbins of time, but still firmly, yet transiently, planted in memory. :) (:
A garland? Far to practical... we put the individual foil icicles on, one by one, and removed same in that manner. The paper/cardboard box they came in had a flat inner piece that the icicles were placed on - looped over - and that was preserved for all future cycles. Icicle cycles.
Kind of a “Wax on. Wax off.”
Post Christmas if we passed a discarded tree still bearing its icicles, an air of superiority (shrouded in a grumble) came from the parental unit passing judgment on waste and sloth!
Later I came to see other hallmarks of my parents who grew up in the Great Depression.
My father would bring home shipping pallets as a source of kindling for the “Warm Morning” upright coal burning stove that heated his gunsmith’s shop.
I was the nail puller and cutter of the wooden pieces. The nails? Think icicles. I was assigned a hammer and stationed at a huge metal working vice to hammer them flat/straight for future use.
Into empty metal Crisco cans, from my mom’s constant baking activity. Several shelves in the shop were lined with Crisco cans, bearing all manner of metal objects, neatly segregated. No pipe fittings in the unbent nails!!
Those are great memories--yes? They show empathy for your parents and the environment in which they grew up--understanding over judgement.
My mom wrapped our ornaments in newspaper and stored them in a cardboard liquor/wine bottle box with cardboard dividers. I didn't know what it was when I was a kid. I recall recognition dawning as an adult when we once bought an entire case of wine.
I'm reminded of "Puff the Magic Dragon".
Can you say more? I'm not sure I understand...
Haven't you heard the song "Puff the Magic Dragon". The song is about a toy dragon that the kid played with when he was little but discarded when he grew older.
Maybe I never listened to the words? I do remember hearing the suggestion that the song is really about smoking pot (or other drugs?). Just another example of how what we "know" can vary greatly.
It certainly speaks to the idea of staying curious and asking questions!
Haha I never thought about associating smoking pot with that song but I guess it could turn into a magic dragon OR reindeer if you did!
A flying reindeer even! haha! Not my thing...
Nor mine!
Hi Gail -- loved this post this morning!
Christmas tradition growing up was a tree decorated one at a time by the kids and using only hand made and "special" decorations.
Each kid took turns one decoration at a time. Each with a story and memory.
Its fun to think in terms of the decorations' story and to be reminded of how tradition builds family/community and reliability and confidence can also come from things we leave in boxes 10 months of the year.
Thanks Bob--Are you talking about your childhood? Do you carry the tradition forward with your kids?
I too like many memories attached to our Christmas ornaments! The last couple of years I've sent a picture/text to friends of ornaments they gave me.
Synchronicity--this morning on my walk I was thinking about family culture and how shared memories--and building memories together is what builds and strengthens connection.
Hi Gail!
Much like I would presume with many, my childhood traditions mixed with my wife's.
Tree wise she grew up with catalog-like Christmas tree. Like beautiful everything but matched. No popcorn string or construction paper stuff.
So we have a smaller (second) tree that our kids decorate with the homemade decorations.
And each year I bought my wife an ornament from a trip.
In full disclosure though -- I do not like decorating at all. It is a chore.
My wife plays Christmas music in the background, changes the candles and has totes and totes of decorations.
My job is to bring the totes upstairs and then get out of the way.
Nicely done! I like the composition of the reindeer image.
Your writing brought back childhood memories of our decorations. Tri-candle sets, each of a different height, adorning windowsills, red bulbs glowing. Strings of tree lights incorporating “candles” that began to bubble after being turned on for a while.
Icicles that were carefully placed after other ornaments were hung, then carefully removed for reuse the next time. Glass bulbs seeming so delicate that a firm grasp would crush them!
And plastic Rudolphs placed here and there on the tree. Now all residing in the dustbins of time, but still firmly, yet transiently, planted in memory. :) (:
Bubbling candles--I've never seen, but can imagine. Kind of like a lava lamp? Ahhh! Icicle garland. :)
A garland? Far to practical... we put the individual foil icicles on, one by one, and removed same in that manner. The paper/cardboard box they came in had a flat inner piece that the icicles were placed on - looped over - and that was preserved for all future cycles. Icicle cycles.
Kind of a “Wax on. Wax off.”
Post Christmas if we passed a discarded tree still bearing its icicles, an air of superiority (shrouded in a grumble) came from the parental unit passing judgment on waste and sloth!
Later I came to see other hallmarks of my parents who grew up in the Great Depression.
My father would bring home shipping pallets as a source of kindling for the “Warm Morning” upright coal burning stove that heated his gunsmith’s shop.
I was the nail puller and cutter of the wooden pieces. The nails? Think icicles. I was assigned a hammer and stationed at a huge metal working vice to hammer them flat/straight for future use.
Into empty metal Crisco cans, from my mom’s constant baking activity. Several shelves in the shop were lined with Crisco cans, bearing all manner of metal objects, neatly segregated. No pipe fittings in the unbent nails!!
Ho-Ho-Ho!
Those are great memories--yes? They show empathy for your parents and the environment in which they grew up--understanding over judgement.
My mom wrapped our ornaments in newspaper and stored them in a cardboard liquor/wine bottle box with cardboard dividers. I didn't know what it was when I was a kid. I recall recognition dawning as an adult when we once bought an entire case of wine.
I think her storage option was clever!