THE ARTISTIC KID......Part 2
One snowy Christmas in the mid 50's, I was informed that we were not going to put up a tree that year. I don't know if the reason was financial or bad roads to get to our neighboring town. But, it was rather hard to take for the about to be teen-ager in the coming January.
And I decided that something must be done. But what? Well, we had decorations. Lots of glass balls that were leftover from previous years. (As I remember, our decorations were mostly glass with "novelty" items yet to come.)
And my parents owned a hardware store...….And there was a small dead tree just down the street in back of an abandoned house...……
So I set out, trudging through the snow, to that poor, hapless tree and managed to break off a limb that would suit my purposes. Dragging it home, I went to the Hardware store (it was next door to where we lived). My dad was tending shop but there were no customers on this snowy day.
I approached him, rather timidly, and inquired as to how much a can of matte black Spray paint would be. He asked why I wanted it ..…….(this was pre-graffiti so he didn't think of that.)
I explained my plan and he went to the paint cannister shelf, returned, and handed me the requested can. "No charge...…..Happy Early Birthday." My heart almost burst at his thoughtfulness.
So, later that afternoon, Dad helped me spray my branch to a dark black suede. Then, we let it dry overnight and the next morning before my mother woke up, we tacked it to the wall just above the sofa and hung nothing but red glass on each tiny twig. It was beautiful. And Charlie Brown hadn't done his yet!
When my mon saw it, she said "Well, that's about the best tree we've ever had." And it was.
And one of my best Christmases. You just got to find the spirit.
And I decided that something must be done. But what? Well, we had decorations. Lots of glass balls that were leftover from previous years. (As I remember, our decorations were mostly glass with "novelty" items yet to come.)
And my parents owned a hardware store...….And there was a small dead tree just down the street in back of an abandoned house...……
So I set out, trudging through the snow, to that poor, hapless tree and managed to break off a limb that would suit my purposes. Dragging it home, I went to the Hardware store (it was next door to where we lived). My dad was tending shop but there were no customers on this snowy day.
I approached him, rather timidly, and inquired as to how much a can of matte black Spray paint would be. He asked why I wanted it ..…….(this was pre-graffiti so he didn't think of that.)
I explained my plan and he went to the paint cannister shelf, returned, and handed me the requested can. "No charge...…..Happy Early Birthday." My heart almost burst at his thoughtfulness.
So, later that afternoon, Dad helped me spray my branch to a dark black suede. Then, we let it dry overnight and the next morning before my mother woke up, we tacked it to the wall just above the sofa and hung nothing but red glass on each tiny twig. It was beautiful. And Charlie Brown hadn't done his yet!
When my mon saw it, she said "Well, that's about the best tree we've ever had." And it was.
And one of my best Christmases. You just got to find the spirit.
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