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Christmases Past, No. 4: A brush with the past

I know Christmas is over, but this is actually a post-2010 Christmas story. I believe I’ve shared on here before this photo of Lynne’s Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus:

Back in the day, ceramics were a big activity for people who wanted to be creative, and Lynne’s sister and her mom went to a ceramics class, where Lynne’s mom fired and painted that Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus set as a gift for her. My first fall back home after I graduated from college, Lynne’s mom died. I spent a lot of time with her family during those months, especially over the holidays. That was the year I learned from them how to make cheese straws, rum balls, and brownies from their secret family recipe–all the goodies that have long since become part of my holiday traditions.

That Christmas, Lynne’s sister Liz gave me my own Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus as painted by her, which I photograph each year and share here on LJ.


2005

The set is even more special to me because Liz died in 2000, and putting up the workshop makes her a part of our holidays. Every Christmas, I add a new item to Santa’s workshop, even if it’s just a tiny toy or ornament for their little tree. But for many years, something’s been missing. At some point, my Santa’s paintbrush broke off and vanished.

In the most recent holiday season, I was in fix-it mode for many decorations that needed a bit of paint or glue. I asked Tom if he could use some craft clay to fix it. He thought it would be easy enough, and I found this Sculpey Bake Shop Clay at Jo-Ann’s. Tom shaped a paintbrush, baked it, and painted it. I went after it with the hot glue gun and touched it up. And voila!

Tom is what oilfield elves call “a good hand.”

From a reader with an English teacher inside her brain

1. If someone in your past told you to put a comma wherever you’d take a breath in saying something aloud, it was a lie. A comma is not a whimsical punctuation mark for you to use and abandon at will like that moron who had a crush on you in eighth grade. Show some respect!

2. If you put LOL after everything you say online, try reading it aloud and actually laughing out loud. You sound a lot like that moron who had a crush on you in eighth grade, don’t you? Saying stuff like, “Your car is really totaled. LOL!” and “Your baby is kind of ugly. LOL!!!!” and “Your dad is cheating on your mom–LOLOL.” or “I made microwave popcorn today! LOL!” doesn’t actually seem to merit a big ol’ laugh-fest. Your message is confusing.

3. Why are so many people suddenly breaking the rules of commas, colons, and a proper lack of punctuation with the random use of question marks? It’s weird. I’ll bet all those blaring and misplaced question marks get released into the environment where they become hazardous to birds and fish. Just sayin’…

4. However, carry on with the use of the occasional uppercased word or two to STRESS IMPORTANCE. Unless it’s followed by a ton of unmerited LOLing.