In recent weeks I’ve been busy knitting ‘Jolly Santa Hats’ discussing what colour they should be and the role that global corporations have played in this particular aesthetic.
Today’s conversation/argument was deflected by suggestions for Christmas lists and much time was spent looking for the Argos catalogue.
Failure to find it (it had been dumped in the recycling bin months earlier) meant a reliance on memory and as I sat knitting and listening to excited shouts of ‘MP3 player!’ and ‘laptop!’ I had a disturbing flashback to the 1970’s ‘Generation Game’ and couldn’t resist calling out ‘don’t forget the cuddly toy!’ which was met with looks of confusion, derision and contempt.
A rare and touching moment of sibling intimacy was observed as the little children discussed whether a Kindle Fire was the equivalent to two or three DS games – and whether an iPod is technically classed as a stocking filler as it’s really small.
I mentioned how ironic it was that St Nicholas is the Patron Saint of pawn brokers, and that he has a mate called Krampus who scares naughty children with his big rusty chains, and another mate called Black Peter who carries a cane for punishing bad children, and by the way, did you know that greed is one of the seven deadly sins?
More looks of contempt and much rubbing out and re-writing of lists.
They got up, and as they left the room passed me their lists. On each one was scrawled
“Dear Santa, I dont actuly care what I get as long as its not nitted”
The vintage knitted rabbit, and retro lion, are lying together in an intimate embrace in a blue suitcase in my studio; cuddly relics from Christmas’s past, destined to remain forever on the conveyor belt of rejection.
[…] I was delighted by this apparent U-turn on the pre-Christmas loathing of all things knitted. […]
I loved this story. I knit and crochet today and my mother was a truly expert knitter. I was always being given dolls, which my mother loved and had made clothing for when she was a child. “No dolls plese” would have been my note to Santa.
Knit those adorable toys for yourself. I think it is adults who really like them.
But they are so cute!
I knit and crochet tigers, lions and other bags and tiny little animals and birds for myself. Then I gift them to unsuspecting friends and my nerves who are all in their twenties.
I have another HTTGS on the go for Sofia the youngest of the four which I started last Christmas- then Tessellation Nation started so it’s been in a bag half done – maybe it will be done by 2025 – or end of???
That sounds fabulous Jayne!!