No?
Me either.
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I actually remember quite a few strange looks when that photo was being taken.
__
Christmas is upon us. Rocco has destroyed our tree. He nearly shat himself when he saw it all decorated ..... he is obsessed with soccer balls, so he ran towards it shouting BALL! BALL! And then gave all the "balls" on the tree a hug.
Then he ripped all the lights off, as well as the tinsel, santas, and candy canes. I was so sick of re-decorating it all the time that it will now stay like this.
And when I went to take a photo of Max's homemade Angel with only one wing (I love the symbology of our Angel only having earnt one wing) .... I discovered a spider has now started decorating the tree too. With it's shiny web. Can you see it sitting on her left shoulder?
I *hate* spiders, but have granted this one a reprieve. I love the symbology of an angel with one wing sitting on our christmas tree with a frickin' spider on her shoulder.
Lastly, here is our nativity scene. I bought it a few years ago .... a then-three year old Max went running up to it and added his Shrek and Buzz Lightyear. This year we have a skateboarder, Donkey Kong, and of course Buddha sitting next to Mary.
Mario is consoling poor Joseph who lost his head last year. (Which was symbolic of our household last year when the paternal figure almost died.)
I saw Rocco playing with Josephs tiny head saying "BALL."
And now I can't find it.
This nativity scene is not a joke - it represents all the different views and melting pot of people who come together at Christmas time, trying against all odds to make some fun and joy and love out of this fucked-up life.
Merry Christmas, my magnificent friends in the computer. Thank God for blogging. I hope your Christmas time is going ok. I wish you one thing - peace in your heart.
And I hope you don't lose your head too much.
love Eden XOXOX
Omigosh Eden, I think I have a photo almost exactly like that. Red hair and all...very strange...
ReplyDeleteI want to thank you tremendously for your kind words the other day. I read and re-read everyone's comments and I truly think that is what gets me through these dark days.
Hope your holiday is full of love. Does Rocco fully understand the joy in present unwrapping yet? :) That should be fun!
Italians say spiders are good luck.
ReplyDeleteThis helps me feel better about spiders:
http://www.sayahda.com/cyc4.html
Many stories exist about the weaver, Grandmother spider. She carried on her back the gift of fire in a basket that she wove and presented it to the people. In another story it is said that her web bound all things together and formed the foundation of earth..
These legends give the spider a link to the past and the future, birth and creation. When the spider crawls into our awareness it is asking us to rebuild the web of our life in accordance with the design the creator gave us.
Spiders differ from insects in having eight legs rather than six and in having the body divided into two parts rather than three. The number eight laid on its side is the symbol for infinity. The number two implies the union of two forces joined together. Together they equal ten. Drop the zero and you are back to the starting point of one. The hidden message of spider is unity. The study of numerology is beneficial for those who hold this medicine.
The construction of a web is linked to the geometry of creation. In the construction of an orb web the spider releases a sticky silken thread into the wind. If the breeze carries the thread to a spot where it sticks the first bridge is formed. Spider cautiously crosses the line reinforcing it with a second. This process continues until a frame is constructed in which the web can secure itself. Bridges serve as a link tying all things together and remind us of our interconnectedness to all life.
The spider shows us that the past, the present and the future are all interwoven. It awakens our intuitive creative senses and encourages us to design the fabric of our lives from our souls original intention. If you see a spider in its web, or creating a new one, pay attention. It symbolizes where you are in the weaving of your own destiny. A study of the medicine wheel and the four directions is helpful.
Because spiders are actually very delicate they embody the energy of gentleness. Spiders are not usually aggressive unless they are defending their lives. Moving forward in all situations with a gentle strength is a skill that often needs to be learned for those with this totem. In man, the bite of a poisonous spider symbolizes a death, rebirth process. Poison enters the nervous system and the body either transmutes it or falls victim to its venom and dies.
The spider signifies the tapestry of life. The web we weave is the reality we experience. Choosing the appropriate path is one of the lessons associated with this medicine.
Grandmother spider is actually a rocking feminist symbol, Oh Australian Queen Of The Sausages: ;)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_Grandmother
LMAO! I loooovvvveeee this post Eden!
ReplyDeleteI like the Pippi Longstocking look!
ReplyDeleteAnd I always knew Super Mario played a role in the Christmas Story...
1. I love your hair in that photo
ReplyDelete2. I love your tree. Ours is going up soon and I am curious to see what the 15 month old is going to make of it.
3. I love your nativity scene. I do.
Hey Santa is squeezing your arm rather tightly isn't he? Maybe that's what the strange looks were for 'cause you were far too cute for strange looks.
ReplyDeleteAnd hey, you're very kind to your children letting them add random toys to Christmas. I have Christmas-OCD ... only Christmassy things are allowed in the vicinity of our tree/nativity.
Merry Christmas Eden, love to you and yours.
xxx
Pippi!!
ReplyDeletePeace to you too, my super-human-strength friend.
Glad I'm not the only one who thought Pippi Longstocking with that picture!
ReplyDeleteOur nativity set always had additions - usually the Fisher Price people (mainly the dog) or other plastic animals. My mom would set up a whole tableau with lights and a white sheet. We weren't supposed to touch it, but there was this bell that would play Silent Night when you wound it which we would play with every year. There is probably still a note in the box that says (My Name) (My Sister's Name) DO NOT TOUCH!
My girl is taking the ornaments off the tree. She separated all the balls that she could reach from their hangers, and had them all sitting on one branch. All the balls have been moved up!
When I was ten, the fashion for pants was the high waist. I have long legs but zero torso so you can imagine how much fun it was for all my classmates to laugh at me. I was also going through an unfortunate phase where my skin was translucent (it seemed) and when I was cold, every single vein and artery would show through, making me look like a human science experiment. I forget what they called me (blocked it out) but I remember crying in the girls' bathroom a lot.
ReplyDeleteI love your angel with one wing. It's perfectly imperfect. Maybe the spider is spinning her another?
I hope you have a lovely, calm, head-stuck-on Christmas. Much love and many hugs.
XOXOXOXOX
Flicka
Merry Christmas!!!!! Hope you have fun this year!!
ReplyDeleteOh and as far as spiders go? Yeah, indoor ones must die.
I love your tree, spiders and all! I'm glad you decided to keep the spider.
ReplyDeleteYeah I have a few TERRIBLE pictures with Santa. Maybe I'll post one, you'll LOVE it!
*HUGS*
I admit I would have taken a hoover to that spider. That is the best nativity ever.
ReplyDeletehahahaha!! LOVE LOVE LOVE this post and all of the symbolic elements of the holidays! Especially the nativity scene.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to all of you!
Dear dear Eden
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you too. Your post made me laugh out loud - the nativity scene is classic.
Thank you for all your support this year. You really don't know just how much I have appreciated it.
Love and hugs
Pixxiee (and the bump)
Love the tree! Peace and goodwill to you and yours
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas Eden!
ReplyDeleteI was reading the first sentence and thinking, "I was never cool, not even at 10!" The only person who thought I was, was my younger sister (for about 3 months).
ReplyDeleteLove, love, love the nativity scene. I want one just like it. The idea of Rocco playing with Joseph's tiny head is hilarious.
That is a great nativity!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas from us to you xxx
ah a spider on the one-armed angel...brilliant. I love it. very cool that you are letting it do its thing.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas in your upside down corner of the world. wish you tons of good things for your heart and soul.
peace.
c
Eden, you were a very, very cute little girl. Those people were saying to themselves, "Check out that red-head. she's an awesome, better-dressed version of Pippy Longstocking." Pippy was one of my heroes growing up. I only had stupid brown boring hair.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the tree.
Mate,
ReplyDeleteyou are drowning in a sea of y chromosomes there, aren't you? :)
g
I love your not-so-typical Christmas decorations!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas Eden! Thank you so much for filling my days with joy. I love reading you and your honesty.
ReplyDeleteBTW, when I first started reading this post, it was totally depressing. Made me remember how un-cool I was in school. Thanks for that.
Happy Holiday Eden & Family
ReplyDelete*Love the nativity scene!
dude. donkey kong totally belongs in a nativity scene.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas Eden!
ReplyDeleteYou were SO CUTE. Seriously, I want to eat you up. WOW, that sounded creepy.
ReplyDelete