I started collecting Nutcrackers when I was in elementary school. I've been sitting here trying to remember why or how it started and I can't. I also had a collection of Coca-Cola memorabilia. I don't remember the genesis of that either, but that's on brand at least. Like Elvis and all things 1950s it plays to that vintage Americana vibe that has always appealed to me. Nutcrackers though. I don't know. It was probably started as a Christmas thing. I know it wasn't necessity. It's not like I was sitting around with a bunch of in-shell nuts wondering about the next step.
I had them in all shapes and sizes. I had favorites. I had display shelving. I carefully packed them in newspaper each time we moved, which was often. I remember once being in Lakeland, Florida, and seeing one that was nearly as tall as I was. It was $100 and I was desperate to get it. (I did not.) As a side note, on that trip to visit my great-grandma in Lakeland I got in to collecting stuffed Winnie the Poohs. That one never went anywhere. The Nutcrackers lasted though, until the last move of my childhood. I was in 11th grade and I never unpacked them. They were in a closet and I'd think about them from time to time, but there they stayed carefully wrapped in newspaper.
Ultimately, I think it was about control. It probably could have been anything unique. Unlike the Coke stuff this didn't fit any pattern or adhere to what other people liked about me. It was just mine. I could arrange and rearrange them anyway I liked. It was something I took pride and comfort in. So wherever those boxes ended up, thanks fellas.
Real quick, why does Coke taste so much better in glass bottles?
No comments:
Post a Comment