The Worst Christmas Present Ever

Third grade was my dream year.  I had my wonderful boyfriend who gave me a handmade necklace for Christmas...and lots of candy, I was hula-hooping champion, I got second place in the spelling bee and I had straight As.  It seemed like everything was going my way.  Then Christmas came around.  I knew Santa was finally bringing my the Kiersten American Girl Doll that I was literally dying for and finally Elizabeth, my other doll would have a friend.  Then, the worst happened.  As I crept from my room before dawn I noticed Santa's cookies were half-eaten...Kiersten had arrived!  As I walked further around the corner to peer at the perfect gift my eyes filled with tears and I felt like I would vomit.  On the fireplace was not Kiersten...but this abomination:

I immediately ran into my parents' room in tears of utter disbelief. "Santa haaaaattttteeeeesssss me!" I cried.  My mother, still totally oblivious to the matter said groggily, "Santa loves you, what's wrong?"  As I explained my horrible experience of disappointment and heartbreak to my little world she said "Maybe Santa just wanted you to be practical."  Practical?  Are you kidding me?  I want my freaking $100 doll!

Ok, so maybe I did blow this out of proportion, but how did I know that this would really be the best Christmas present ever?  Later that morning Aunt Becky came over for Christmas brunch and convinced me that this was a good gift.  After all, what do parents know about anything anyway?  The next day we (Aunt Becky, Mom, and myself) went to what I like to call "Heaven on Earth" also known as Joann's.  Here a plethora of patterns and fabrics were opened to my mind as I embraced this new love of a needle.

Fast forward 11 years and I have created countless projects of varying shapes, styles, and sizes.  Halloween costume?  Shoot, I can make a Hershey bar or a Sailor Scout costume.  Dresses can't seem to fit right, not a problem...I will just alter the pattern.  A duffle bag?  Don't make me laugh.  As for saving money at the tailor?  Probably in the millions (ok, maybe hundreds...or tens).  This gift has allowed my creativity to blossom.  From my sewing machine I am able to create new things for myself and others that I am actually proud of; I can even design new varieties of clothing if I so desire.  Here is my latest creation, a comforter/quilt that I made of my high school t-shirts:

Who would have thought that a doll disaster would actually be one of the most rewarding and creative gifts I could receive?  Maybe this year I will get something even cooler...or maybe just some Ugg boots.

Spare Change

Old

Friends, Family, Faith

jaded

experiences and circumstances

"tragedy" and new life

colors and crispness increases

seasons change

snow, if for a while

pencils breaking, hands shaking

end, New.

Life can change abruptly.  When you start the semester everything seems like it will break, and then the leaves begin to change color and it all changes.  I wrote this poem to describe a fall semester.  Things often have a dual meaning, which is reflected above, because in the end change has to happen to make room for new life. It really is amazing how inspirational college can be for poetry, I believe this fits a lot of people, whereas in my previous blog that poem concerned me on a personal level.

Cinematography?

Lately I have been dabbling quite a lot with iMovie.  This experimentation has allowed me to let my creative juices flow even more than before.  It seems the possibilities are almost (iMovie 8...cough, cough) limitless with a flip video camera and good software.  This video is from Spanish class.  It is a trailer about a book we finished reading, Crónica de una Muerte Anunciada (Chronicle of a Death Foretold) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.  The store has one central moment, the death of Santiago Nasar.  In the novella Marquez immerses himself into the story as another character (think The Great Gatsby) and ultimately is affected by this story of twisted fate.  For this film I did all of the editing and added the music, "Requiem for a Dream," as well as did a bit of filming and less-than professional acting.  It is black and white because the entire story is set in the past as a memory.

The Christmas Spirit

Everyone has their favorite tradition about Christmas that brings forth the spirit of the season.  For some it is the claymation videos, for others it it trimming the tree.  As this seasons begins I am also reflecting back on my favorite traditions.  It really is no secret how obsessed I am with not only Christmas music but the movies as well.  The best part of this is when they combine into a whole new idea.  My favorite joining of a song and a movie is The Christmas Shoes which airs on lifetime.  Here is the trailer:



Though this is not necessarily the high budget How the Grinch Stole Christmas or the classic 
Miracle on 34th Street I believe that it conveys the message of the Christmas season better
than anything else: "Give all you can, receive all you can." Now, this does not always mean
material things, it is also the little things that make it all worthwhile, making your dad a really 
ugly tie but he will wear it because it makes his little girl feel better or a mom cherishing the
pinecone her son painted at preschool.


Too often I think people get caught up in getting in the "Christmas Spirit." But, what I 
like so much about this movie is that the characters show the spirit year round. In my opinion, 
just because it is Christmas does not mean that you should do all you can for someone,
it should be a 24-7 job, and this movie particularly passes on that message. This family, 
although they are suffering strives to help anyone they can and make the world a better
place. In the end, it is a little boy that spreads this message to a crowded department store. 
That is what Christmas is all about, not just the season but the feeling that should go 
year-round.