Bright Lights, Small City

Psssst…We discovered Santa’s secret. Did you know he really lives in a small trailer with Donner and Blitzen on the outskirts of the Pole? But more on that in a moment. First I have to ask, what happens if you wake up one morning and don’t understand your own culture?

That’s kinda what happened to us yesterday. I realize that we live in a bit of a bubble, a snow globe of our own, designing jewelry at home in our studio and then going out in public to sell it. But the public we mingle with are folks who attend art fairs and alternative festivals.

But yesterday, Groom and I did our annual day of Christmas shopping. I know, I know, there are people who can hardly believe that we only pop into the mall once a year, and even then it was for less than 15 minutes yesterday; two stores for specific wish lists. We usually shop at the Eugene Saturday Market and locally owned shops, so we are very spoiled.

But as we buy for those on our Obligatorium list (see Obliga-what? 12/10/10 ), we must venture out of our small, comfortable world and see what the other homosapiens are up to. It wasn’t all that pretty. We saw somebody write in purple ink on a napkin, “Big, Fat Slob,” and stick it under a windshield wiper. I guess it was their way of spreading “holiday cheer.”

After a full day of semi-fruitful shopping, we were picked up by a friend to join six others in a brand new, 2011 stretch limousine to gawk at Christmas lights for the evening. But we didn’t just see houses whose electric bills alone could finance a small country, we saw all kinds of larger than life inflatable characters and that’s when we discovered Santa’s downsized living conditions.

In spite of the commercialism, I heard a great line today from an audio book I’m listening to. Someone asked, “I need help, how do I connect with God?” Answer. “You are the connection point (as opposed to something or someone outside). Don’t try to be spiritual, just be yourself.”

Obliga-what?

A brand new word just floated into my brain from the ethers this week. I always believe (for about 10 seconds) that I made it up, but then, thanks to the power of Google, I’m always amazed that somebody else has thought of it, too. And first.

It’s similar to having one of those vocabulary building calendars that teach you a new word each day, but without any print or paper. More like subscribing to a “Celestial Download” word-of-the-week club. And it’s free!

So, for the teensy span of time, between the fresh word floating down from the sky like a feather and me looking it up online, I feel this excitement of having just invented something new. “Groom,” I say enthusiastically, “I just made up another word!”

“What is it, dear?” he asks faithfully, knowing in a few minutes I’ll lament the fact that my new shiny word is already listed in the Internet dictionary.

In my imagination, before presenting it to him like a gift, a drum roll precedes the fanfare, although I am the only one who can hear it.

“Obligatorium,” I say with a flourish. Sometimes I curtsey.

“That’s a curious one,” he says. “What does it mean, is it a place?”

Oh yeah. Hmmm...good question. I search around in my mind, and it feels like a humorous word, a real yet not real place, kinda like a guilt-trip. It’s an emporium to shop for people on your Christmas list that you really don’t want to buy for, but would cause hurt feelings if you didn’t. “I think I’ll pop down to the Obligatorium and pick up that present for Uncle Pervie and Aunt Gossip.”

It’s the warehouse for all the stuff we have to do, but don’t wanna, the ties that bind, the long hours we put in, anything that has to do with obligations. When I looked it up online, three words defined it: obligation; a bond.

I don’t really have an ending to this entry, but if feels odd to just stop so I’ll mention the photographs. They were taken at the Eugene Holiday Market last Sunday, December 5, 2010. If any of you have curious words to share, we’d love to learn about them. However, we’ve had many people email us or tell us in person that they’ve tried to leave a comment, but some curious technical hitch is in the giddyup and hasn’t allowed it, so don’t get discouraged. Thanks!