As Christmas 2017 draws nigh, I am reblogging posts of Christmas past. This is from December 2015, combining two Tale Weaver prompts.
image via wild birds unlimited
Lintu loves her loom. She weaves the silken threads of milkweed pods into shimmering, luminescent cloth. With scissors made of starlight beams and comet dust, she carefully cuts the fabric into rectangles. Each rectangle, reflecting the skyclouds and seawaves, carefully sewn with a gossamer thread spun from the fluff of dandelion parachutes and bulrush tops. The draw strings were fashioned from elven wire, twisted with fairy filaments.
These are very special bags; ones that Lintu treasures making. You see, at fairy christmas time (around winter solstice {2015: December 22nd} – a moveable feast), people exchange gifts that are gifts.
Lintu fills each bag with sunflower seeds, millet, wheat seeds, safflower seeds, chopped nuts and dried fruits. With a sprinkle of pixie dust, each bag is off to a friend, a relative, a neighbour, a homeless elf, a chronically ill imp, and her friends on fairibook and impster and wordpixiepress.
To receive a bag, radiant on dingedulliest days, or starmoonlessest nights, is certainly a wonderous event. Lintu’s bags gracefully flutter down on doorsteps, or slip into mailboxes, or tippietoe up walkways.
Just before the shifting of time between unchristmas and christmas, contents of the bags are scattered as near to home as possible (window ledges, back mushroom decks, lily-pads, flower boxes, or between the summer and winter doors so as to be sent spinning out with each foot fall in and out).
On fairy christmas morn, birds fly in to receive their gift of seeds. They sing songs of thankfulness and promise to wear their best dress in the spring in return.
With a huge mug of fairy absolute chocolatiest, creamiest, dreamiest coca between her hands, Lintu watches the birds through tickle-your-nose-fragrant steam and the front window. Colorful dance of cardinals, blue jays, rhythmic sparrow movements, curious chickadees, flight paths of titmice.
As Grandmother taught Lintu to weave, she told stories. Stories her Grandmother sang while she was learning to spin.
“Remember, Lintu, traditions have a place. Some need changing, rearranging, leaving go. But many fade into dust and woodsmoke if no one remembers and shares.”
Her Grandmother loved to tell of the gift of birdseed at christmas time. Lintu had made it her own.
© Lorraine
Leaving food for the birds on Christmas morning is a northern European/Scandinavian tradition. One I haven’t followed of late. One I need to start again. (And I did)
Written for Tale Weaver 43: Christmas fairly tale and Tale Weaver 44: Traditions
December 24, 2017 at 11:25 am
Oh, this totally resonates with me. I don’t recall this post – but I’m glad that I’m discovering this now. It’s absolutely gorgeous – fabulous – magical …..
And I love the idea, the theme – it really hits home for me – (lately I’ve been playing with layers, threads, ideas, colours, patchwork art ideas, if only in my head – no “toys” to play with) …. and this is just about what has been trundling through) …. (coinkydink? ;) ) ….
absolutely lovely …. You ARE magical my friend …. Happy Christmas ❄⛄🌟🎅💕
LikeLike
December 25, 2017 at 3:04 am
This one goes way back to Tale Weaver 43/44.
Glad it resonates — I write, you do art, in our heads.
May the colours, layers, threads, patchworks lead to star-quilts and living tapestries.
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 25, 2017 at 9:50 am
well, I’m not sure I do much of anything anymore, but that’s neither here nor there …. if anything the ideas and images in the head and heart may just have to be the ones that carry me through – so however it comes about, we must do what needs must …. and never forget, you always hold the magic within …. always …. 💕
LikeLike
December 25, 2017 at 10:56 am
And, you can knit a magic scarf for yourself with gossamer wool and infinite possibilities.
You hold the magic, too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 25, 2017 at 11:49 am
in my own ways, yes ….. but funny thing, it’s rare I make something that I end up really liking – for whatever reasons … apart from socks – LOL – it’s rare it “all comes together” – same thing used to go down when I sewed my own clothes – for every 10 pieces I made, I’d really like maybe 3 …. go figure …. my life is an ongoing sketch book filled with doodles, scribbles, scratchings, pickings and peckings, and on the odd happenstance, a few hidden treasures – so perhaps, for me, it’s about learning that the process is what truly counts – not so much the “outcome” – almost wrote “ouchcome” – LOL –
anyhow …. magic is magic – if we choose to see it, believe it …. so may your day and heart and life be filled with all things pixie 💖🎁🎇🎶🌠✳❄⭐❇🐝🐧🐠🐞🎅
LikeLike
December 26, 2017 at 9:06 pm
I like the idea of life as a sketchbook. I once had an address book where each person had a page, and I treated it like a scrapbook, placing items that reminded me of them.
I think my life is like a scrapbook — snatches of moments stuck with curling, yellowing scotch tape or messy gluey globs. Snippets written here and there, glossy magazine images and newspaper stories, other lives I felt more interesting and important than mine.
I am thinking of starting a time book — a scrapbook of good times, Somewhere I have a blank book of coloured pages (I am addicted to such things), or several sketchbooks I got at a discount price when a store where I bought my 2B pencils was moving.
Don’t know if I can paste magic into my book, but maybe I can capture the essence.
Some people choose a word for the new year, rather than a resolution (I don’t do resolutions but the horoscope I just read sure sounded like what I need to do). Maybe I should choose magic and it’s various forms. Or pixie. Hum . . .
I can’t do icons, but if I could well, all that you’ve done for sure. The penguin is so apropos — a friend and I formed the PLA — the penguin liberation army — with the goal to set the penguins at the Vancouver Aquarium free, lol.
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 27, 2017 at 11:55 am
LOL@the idea of the PLA – how curious is this?! Luv it!
One of my friends, who was from N.B. – Acadian and all, would get this weird look in her eyes when we went grocery shopping and we’d see a tank of live lobsters – and she’d call out – “set my people free!” …. LOL – had to keep an eye on her, she was inclined to reach into the tanks and want to pluck them out, snap the bands and let them scuttle about …. (goofy grin here) – thankfully it never came to this …. I could rope her in before she got carried away ….
I too used to do the same thing – pages and books filled with pictures, images culled, inspired, etc. with snippets and odd bits etc. – was even thinking on it again – have several going, although I’ve lost the initiate …. nothing resonates anymore …. I think, I’ve come to the end of my line ….
*sigh*
right then, switching the thoughts here …. you should do what feels right for you – what makes you smile inside, and just allow it to inspire you …. however it comes ….. :)
magic pixie imp playful fun swirling whirling twirling glittery dust :)
I don’t do resolutions – the more I think on things, set things down in “concrete” the worse it becomes for me – although some things are “practical” – and that’s a good thing – but at this point, I’m too far gone in all aspects to even begin again, or even try ….
so much for a “happy comment” – excuse me while I wander off to stick my head in a blender 🍺
LikeLike
December 27, 2017 at 5:20 pm
Either you have a small head, or a big blender. . . .
I prefer honesty to crap. You’re not feeling “happy” and all this talk of magic, and pixies and things whimsical seems shallow and laid on too thick.
Think on the things you have told me; some wise words you shared. Now take them back and use them for/on yourself.
LikeLiked by 1 person
December 27, 2017 at 6:57 pm
LOL – actually, the magic, the pixies, the imps, the fairy dust – NOW that IS real – and good – the only thing worthy of some effort on my part – so no, it doesn’t sound “too shallow” ….. and LOL – yeah, the blender is industrial sized ;)
I can offer the words, but they don’t stick with me …. I must be supercoated in teflon or some other stuff that only attracts flies …. you know, that rolly, sticky bullet cartridge yellow fly trap paper …. that’s me ….. ugh ………
LikeLike
December 27, 2017 at 8:24 pm
Memory of my childhood visits to my aunt’s farm — the rolls of fly paper all about the house — even dangling over the dining table. I remember opening one and getting all sticky and caught. I can imagine you feeling like that roll of old flypaper dangling above the plate of bread, tub of margarine, bowl of potatoes, with half-dead flies buzzing with frustration at being so close to the feast.
Doesn’t mean that you have to remain as fly paper — it’s not a comfortable position hanging from the ceiling (though I have a friend who loves her anti-gravity chair) unless perhaps you’re a bat.
If you don’t have the energy to email, that’s fine. I have been meaning to email you.
It’s always easier to give advice that it is to accept it for yourself. I should know! I do it all the time! I can say “Be kind to yourself; forgive yourself” knowing full well I haven’t done any of it myself.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 6, 2018 at 10:12 am
sorry about the long time lapse here, just haven’t felt the need to stop in and read anything …..
fly paper …. holy crap, isn’t that stuff just like worse than crazy glue??? omg …. the scene you describe is so familiar – nothing like “farm house decor” to really make a scene, those rolls, kind of like film spools …. and the flies …. struggling away when stuck …. I’m not sure which is worse, the whole struggling in a slow death or then having to change those laden spools out …. yuck.
LOL – you’re so right, “advice is cheap and easy, but the price of accepting it seems awful costly!” (said with great fondness and affection of course) ….. but you ARE right, it’s true, something to try to remember and repeat, and truly accept …. self kindness and forgiveness really are gifts :)
LikeLike
December 23, 2017 at 3:07 pm
I was thinking traditions and customs are something I should make up a prompt for next Christmas as I’m sure lots of people have family traditions at this time of year. Good one Lorraine….have you hung your stocking in anticipation??
LikeLike
December 25, 2017 at 2:59 am
No stockings this year. Wishing you a merry ham sandwich indeed.
LikeLiked by 1 person