Do-Vember in the Treehouse (Pulling out my Pins)

Do-Vember

It's a new month. It's that new month that, in my corner of the blog world, usually means the  Christmas sewing and crafts start to appear.  Sew Mama Sew is starting their annual crafting-plus-giveaway. 

There isn't any Wednesday Hodgepodge this week (since our indefatigable Hodgepodge Hostess and family are finally getting to move into the house they've been building. I was browsing through the archives there, looking for an old Hodgepodge that I could borrow for inspiration, and I found this 2011 Pintervention post instead. Short version: some people just like to Pin things. Other people actually make and do the things they pin about. The challenge in that post was to take photos of things you had actually made that were inspired by something you saw on Pinterest.

I started a Pinterest account about a year ago, actually when I was looking for Christmas gift ideas. So yes, I can say that I am not just a "serial pinner," I do make use of a lot of what pops up. Some of my boards are just dreams (things to do in Edinburgh), and I admit that I am not too likely to make Hallowe'en mummy cookies. Others are just nostalgia: I don't really want a stack of the books I read when I was little, but I like seeing their Tip Top Elf covers all arranged in a row.

But other Pinterest boards I created--those are the do-it ones, the equivalent of the Mom-I'm-bored box for grownups.

So November is going to be Do-Vember at the Treehouse. I'm going to Use it or Lose it on a number of the things I've pinned over the past year.  Successes and fails: I promise to be honest.  Watch for the first Pin Post later today.

Virtual (book) flea market?

Mr. Fixit makes regular trips to the antique barn, looking for cameras and radios to fix. Sometimes I go with him and look for interesting books.

If you're snowed in or don't have an antique barn, this vintage-books page is almost as good. Oldsters like me: did you read any of these when you were little?

The Christmas Stick (book review)

The Christmas Stick, by Tim J. Myers.  Illustrated by Necdet Yilmaz.  Published by Paraclete Press, November 2014.

What bad things could one say about a well-illustrated picture book that promotes low-tech, natural playthings for somewhat spoiled princes (and princesses)? Not many.

The prince (he's nameless) receives a lot of toys one Christmas that move by themselves, don't offer much scope for the imagination, and end up broken before too long. His grandmother, on the other hand, gives him a long stick, which (as you can guess) becomes his favourite plaything. In an interesting twist at the end, the prince finds a way to pass the gift on, having learned the intended lesson. Or maybe it wasn't a lesson. Maybe his grandmother just wanted him to have fun.

Taken on its own terms, The Christmas Stick is a cute story, and yes, it does have a message of simplicity (though nothing specifically about the Christian meaning of Christmas). But is it the princes (and princesses) themselves who need this message, or their parents and other lavish gift-givers? The fact that the prince never gets a name, for instance, creates a certain distance, makes him a bit less real; and the thought that the story might just be propaganda for fewer toys (and more wrapped-up sticks) might not go over well with some kids. The difficulty is not that we don't remember and acknowledge instances in our own lives when simple playthings won out; it's just that slightly defensive feeling that we, the parents, are getting a sermon here on the appeal of long sticks.

But maybe it wasn't intended that way.  Maybe the author just wanted us to have fun too. And in that case, I'd give this enough Christmas stars to pass it on to some little ones I know.

Please note that families who do not allow talk of wizards etc. will find a few references in this book offensive.

I was sent a complimentary copy of this book from the publishers, for review purposes, but  received no other compensation.