Deja Vu and a Little Vintage
Tuesday, December 9, 2008 at 2:38PM Possibly my favorite comment of the year was from Hayley, who called my birthday crown picture below a "cracker of a photo." How much do I love that?
"Cracker" has got to be one of my all-time favorite slang words. It can mean so many things: crazy, messed-up, pitch-perfect, or most excellent - as in, you're shortening "Cracker Jack!" to just "cracker!". There's also the fact that this is one of those 1970s funk/jive words commonly heard on episodes of Good Times or something; in that context, "cracker" usually meant a white person - a white person who wasn't very cool or in-touch. As in "a crispy salted cracker that just came out of a box." Of course, box or no box, I am a white person and I find it hilarious when people still use the word "cracker".
So, to follow up one cracker photo, I give you another from the same night way back in the day. It's deja-vu all over again...
There is a purpose to this. Yes, I was quite young, looking a little drunk and/or stoney, wearing a pinafore and a sparkly crown, but it gets better. You see that tree with the little carolers? Well, I still have that thing and I want to tell you all about it.
This picture was taken in my Grandma's living room on my birthday before we went to dinner. I used to LOVE Grandma's little tree with the carolers, so I probably insisted on standing with it to do the picture. It was my thing at the time. So, while my Dad was probably busy making Shirley Temples in the kitchen, my Mom probably took this of me and my favorite Christmas tree.
My Grandma passed away about 10 years ago (but you can read all about her amazingness here,) and one of the things I instantly put away for safe-keeping was this little tree. At the time I was still living at home and didn't have any place to put it, but I knew one day I'd restore it to its proper glory.
The story goes that my Grandma bought this tree & carolers combo in the 1960s or 1970s at Gump's or The City of Paris or some place; every year she'd store it away, and every year she'd bring it out, plug it in, and voila: Christmas. I used to stare at the carolers and wonder what they were singing, was it my favorite carol, where did they live, what were they getting for Christmas...on and on. It's kind of like Proust's madeline in a way (at least for me,) so, obviously I had to keep it.
A few years ago, I was finally out and on my own, in my own apartment, decorating for Christmas. I realized right away that the carolers would be perfect for a little apartment because they didn't take up any space, but it was also vintage, adorable, and completely lovely.
Unfortunately, the tree had seen better days. The fence and paper-mache carolers were still great, as were the vintage ornaments, but the tree had that weird, waxy, "old plastic" smell, and the lights were kaput. So, I lovingly took everything apart and re-built the scene on a new plank of styrofoam. I put in a new tree, new lights, and even found more vintage ornaments to add. I put the fence and the carolers back, and poured a fresh, new batch of plaster over everything for the snow. The tree was re-born, and I've brought it out every year since.
This year, I decided not to do my big pink tree. To be honest, I just didn't have the energy with everything going on. BUT, I did give the carolers a place of honor and they definitely make me happy when I get home!
The moral of the story is: you never know when you have something beautiful and vintage under your very own roof. Maybe it needs a little time and attention, but you can bring it back to life!
Christmas, craft, vintage in On the Make, Past is Present 
Reader Comments (1)
Hope your weekend is splendid!
tp