Door 19: Homemade decorations

We all have them, and we all know Xmas wouldn’t be Xmas without them. They make us laugh, they make us see each other in a little different light, and we’re proud of them, every single one of them.

I’m not talking about opinions.

I’m talking about all those wonderful, hideous, gorgeous, ugly, weird, beautiful, and “interesting” pieces of Xmas art we produce in kindergarten and at school.

I’m sure there’s a perfect family somewhere, one that only has truly beautiful angels and Santa’s helpers scattered around their house, but in this case, they’re the outlier.

The rest of us have angels* made of toilet paper rolls that may or may not have been slightly crushed to begin with. The angel’s hair has more glue than crepe paper, and the wings, once in plural are now in singular. Saint Lucia’s hair has thinned, and judging by her eyes, she’s very tired. So tired.

And the elves, Santa’s little helpers, they come in all shapes and forms. One is short and sturdy, and he’s lost his hat, or possibly half his head somewhere. I say “possibly” because it’s not clear where his head starts and the hat begins, just as it is unclear where his neck starts and shoulders begin. When he was created, they (I) threw away the mould (that I never had). Others are long and wooden, and they seem to be in a constant state of surprise, while yet others are happy but quite clearly two-dimensional.

They’re not pieces of art, not by any stretch of the imagination – but they’re our angels and elves, dammit.

And there’s no Xmas without them.


This is the From The Desk of Risto Pakarinen 2017 advent calendar. Behind every door, you’ll find something related to the 1980s

*The angel in the photo is from the 1980s, which qualifies this as an 80s advent calendar entry.

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