The thing about your grandmother's gift giving prowess is that it is not reciprocal. She, when pressed about what gift she would like for any occasion, will be more likely to answer "a card" than anything else. When further pressured, she will be likely to say that she wants you to MAKE her a card. This will, I'm sure, lead to some fun games with cardboard and glue in your early years.
My mother has an astonishing attachment to things that kids bring home from school. She keeps them all in some of the wide and interesting array of storage places that she has secreted about her mountain hideaway (picture provided for reference) and often brings them out at inopportune occasions.
There are cardboard angels on her christmas tree, pumpkin, that your uncle David and I made when we were in kindergarten. Mine is considerably less recognisable as an angel than his, but then I was always more into surrealism than he was.
Love you.
2 comments:
Dear Pumpkin, as your father suggests, in creating christmas decorations as a child it is advisable to think in the long-term. I can tell you from personal experience that a Christmas angel whose skirt is made of macaroni looks rather sad thirty-five years down the track, but parents will seldom allow such objects a merciful retirement or even a make-over, so it will be up to you to think "durable" when exercising that nascent artistic talent... Regards, MissJane
Pumpkin/Possum,
Giving gifts is one of the truly fun parts of being a mother/grandmother/friend. A good gift involves thought, and a little time. And what more could any mother want than hand made gifts from her wonderful sons. Of course now that they're not in kindergarten any more, a new book by Helen Garner (does she have a new one?), any new Australian writing, Rod Stewart has a new CD (I know it's a bit sad, but I have this thing about Rod Stewart - I don't think your Dad & Uncle approve), the John Lennon acoustic CD.
But all of this stuff pales in comparison with a phone call, a card and some good talk. Not to mention a shared glass of wine.
And I will show you the angels the first Christmas you are with us. They are a little tattered, but I love them.
love to you and your parents
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