Tuesday, January 6, 2009

You Open A Christmas Gift ... And Say WTF??!!??

Today was a lovely gray, foggy, rainy day on the Outer Banks. I love weather like this This is the view off my back deck, looking down the canal.
Didn't cook anything much to speak of today, but Mr. Hawthorne and I did meet with Xmaskatie for an adequate lunch. Thank you Xmaskatie for treating. Your generosity is most touching. Now onto the subject of this post - the occasional odd Christmas gift, which generally will come from the same person year after year after year. It's the kind of gift that when you open it, your head tilts a bit, your jaw drops slightly, your lips part, your teeth clinch, your nose develops a slight crinkle, your brow furrows, and your brain scrambles to process. And don't worry about this particular gifter ever reading this post. No way. No how. Drum roll, please.
May I present to you last year's Christmas gift - a Lego-inspired plastic clock. OK, people. Please comment with your first impressions upon seeing this. Exquisite, isn't it? Well, once you get something like this, you know it's an ominous foreshadowing of THINGS-TO-COME. And now, I give you this past Christmas's gift.
Ahh ... A nautical gift. Very a propos for the Hawthornes, considering we do live on the Outer Banks of North Carolina - the CITY OF LIGHTHOUSES.
And yes, it lights up... in the wrong place.
Check out this intricate, clever, and inventive construction. The beads are held in place by safety pins.
Lights off.
Lights on. I discovered that the light inside needed a bit of adjusting in order to illuminate properly through the fresnel screen.
Close up of masterful engineering.
Sometimes, Rosie is just speechless.
To enlighten you as to the provenance of these gifts, let me just say they came from someone who has widely and wildly different "tastes" than I. This particular person has a neighbor who apparently has a WHOLE LOT OF TIME on her hands, and she actually makes these things. Wouldn't you just love to see her house? Now, if any of my dear readers have unconventional, idiosyncratic, quirky, dare I say outre, little presents they'd like to share with us, please do. I'd love to hear from you.

9 comments:

  1. Rosie, look on the bright side - you could really create some amazing tablescapes with these special items! Sandra would be so jealous.

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  2. Oh my Rosie. That's all I can say. Oh my. I have never seen anything like these things....and never really want to!

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  3. There. Are. No. Words. Just. Not.

    But I agree with Sara. Create a beautiful! and imaginative! tablescape.

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  4. Wow. It's the thought that counts, right? Then you have to wonder, what were they thinking?

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  5. Yeah... if the clock was Lego, I'd be impressed. And probably try to buy it off you.

    That's all just bad crafting.

    And you NEED to invite this neighbor over for 'tinis and some Sandra Lee just so you can report back.

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  6. Mr. G and I are in awe, AWE, at these items.

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  7. Well, it's better than I hoped. I was afraid that someone had given you a Sandra Lee "cookbook".

    As for the tablescape, hang your lighthouses from the ceiling so that they will block the vision of your guests. Cover the cords with seaweed, almond paste, ricotta cheese, whatever you have handy. Scatter sand and assorted medical waste over your table. Top with some Little Mermaid dishes and bring on the booze! Whoot!

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