Photos and Film of Christmas at Michael Manning's Place!

Because of the size of my family, I focus on two people each Christmas. My Mom and my Aunt. They are not only the closest members of my family to me, they are also the oldest. So, I feel it is best to honor them. As a little kid, I always stared out of the window of our old house eagerly awaiting the arrival of my Aunt and Uncle in their old Oldsmobile. Our driveway was such that you had to walk up the slope, then turn right to navigate the short walkway to the front porch. I still remember the sound of our doorbell and even our memorable phone number.

What was most exciting for me as a kid was not what I received with presents, but rather the anticipation of what was wrapped inside the boxes my Aunt and Uncle carried up that driveway while wearing their heavy winter coats. They used the most fascinating, colorful wrapping paper! There I was, on my knees on the dining room chair looking outside our picture window to see those exquisitely-wrapped presents arriving! My Cousin soon followed in her own car with ample presents too.

This year, my presents were not very sophisticated. My Mom has eveything and truly, doesn't expect anything. Still, I was walking through an outdoor Art Festival in 70 degree weather only two weeks ago. This lady set up a booth with specially knitted hats (don't ask me what kind of yarn she used, but it was good stuff). I told her I liked one or two of her hats and joked that I usually include an annual membership to AAA (Triple A) for my Mom. The rest of the festival was only so-so.

One woman made me laugh because she had a booth set up selling "Bra Straps That Should Be Seen"--customized no less!

Two girls were playing acoustic guitars at the festival entrance, and after their set, I chatted with one of them about her new Taylor guitar. She asked me about my electric and acoustic guitars and then I walked off to look at a photographer's booth that contained large photos of old Packard automobiles he photographed in New Mexico. They were priced out of sight and no one was buying them (including me). Afterward, I took my Sunday walk around a lake. The following week, I returned to this same Festival and nabbed (bought) a knitted cap for my Mom. 

For my Aunt, I picked out a stuffed toy Christmas Teddy Bear for her living room sofa. It required batteries. She didn't notice until I told her over the telephone, but loved it anyway. Both gifts were simple--and of course, composer Aaron Copland's better known works include "Simple Gifts" (and "Rodeo").

As I previously blogged, I enjoy the expression of thrill little kids get from Christmas light displays and seeing "Santa Claus". Much of this is that I will always be a "big kid". The other reality is that I love a good light display too. But Christmas has become too commercialized for too many years.

Similar to birthdays, it is easy for people to lose the "reason for the season" by getting so caught up with expensive purchases. The mere act of thinking with one's heart about a simple gift that can cost only a small amount of money, but means more than buying someone a pair of tickets to Maui or a BMW roadster (don't you get fed up with those TV commercials of some Yuppie couple invoving a big red ribbon and bow wrapped around a Lexus in those infernal television commercials?) Simple is truly more my style.

As a kid I used to make presents with glue, scissors, paper mache, paint, egg crates and cool rocks I would find outside. To this day, I have on my writing desk a gift that was hand made from the girlfriend of a buddy of mine in North Texas.

She is a quiet, shy girl who has transformed her garage into a shop filled with extensive wood lathes and hand tools. She hand-carved the spindles and the hand rail for the stairway inside her home, her kitchen cabinets, and created wall murals of a balloon festival and more. This girl has such an artistic gift! Quite unexpectedly, she created for me a two inch wooden stamp box that pulls apart and allows me to install a roll of stamps. The front has a slot that alows the stamp roll to flow forward on a short spindle. Here are some photos that will amaze you:     

Just think about it: This masterpiece started from a block of wood. You don't just "throw together" a gift this intricate.  

I've pulled the stamp holder apart so you can see the ingenious spindle that keeps the roll of stamps wound in a circle inside the structure.

This view (above) reveals the grain of the wood, and this side view reveals the measuring hole that perfectly aligns with the left piece when placed together. I must say this.

You can only imagine how much quiet study and effort was required by my friend to create this gift for me with her own two hands in her woodshop. To this day, I am almost exasperated that she even thought of me to make such a personalized gift! Her boyfriend from England remains one of my best friends, and I was caught completely off guard by her generosity. There is so much heart in this gift that it is more valuable to me than my favorite vintage car--a 1963 Split Window Corvette. So, while I can acknowledge nice architecture or a cool musical instrument, a simple gift like this one carry's so much more meaning when one considers how much time and labor went into it. This is truly what is meant by the term "a labor of love"-- and friendship!  

This is actually my porch light. For the first time ever, I accidentally filmed 3 seconds of the light on my porch. Why? Because I fumbled with the camera settings outside in the dark as the batteries were running low. Anyhow, I don't know how many of you remembered that I promised to post these photos this past Thanksgiving. Either way, here they are! The point? I always keep my promises!

This shot is better--again, fumbling in the dark with camera settings I don't truly understand to begin with. Yes, I have the Owners Manual. I know, I know... By the way, that's THE Martha Stewart Christmas Wreath I also blogged about earlier last month! Remember that blog post? Of course you do!

My late Cousin liked watching Martha Stewart on TV. One day while visiting her, I asked her about it and she reluctantly admitted being a Martha fan. I could tell she didn't like me pinning her down on that point. This photo is dedicated to my Cousin, a great horsewoman (and a great Cousin whom I miss)!

Another exclusive just for you: My porch at 11 PM in Scottdale, Arizona. From the ground, this third story spectacle looks very cool. You'll just have to trust me about this! Or as Elvis Presley would say, "Thank you. Thank you very much". Incidentally, if you haven't been to Elvis' Graceland mansion at Christmas in Memphis, you're missing something huge! The King went all out and the staff at the mansion to this day still keeps up that tradition. My place is obviously not Graceland, but just the same, it's my place!  

Graceland, baby!
(Photo: Unknown) 

Elvis had a slightly bigger budget than mine.

I've visitied Graceland twice...somethin' else!
(Photo: Again, Unknown)  

As the Holiday Season winds down, I hope my green light bulb installed in the lamp fixture on my balcony outside, with a 25 foot string of red lights makes my neighbors smile and ponder their own Christmas memories. And I hope the approaching New Year will bring you your best memories yet!

Michael