On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 12 golden walnuts, 11 useless gizmos, 10 matching p.j.'s, 9 lovely tall trees, 8 elegant ornaments, 7 certain suitcases, 6 singing souls, 5 Julenissen, 4 Christmas stockings, 3 special wishes, 2 roller skates, and one very large sea kelp.
If you look closely, you can see the golden walnuts. If you are a Terrill - or have married into the Terrill family - you probably know the story about the fabled golden walnuts.Our first Christmas spent together was on our honeymoon - didn't have a tree. Our 2nd Christmas together found us in a tiny rental house in Provo that really needed a nice big tree - so we got one!! We went over to the Ben Franklin 5 and 10 and bought some charming blue and red felt ornaments - which we still have, though they are something the worse for wear. We bought lights and strung popcorn, but decided the tree needed more. (Of course, it needed a lot more, but we were young and poor!!)
I don't know where we got the idea from, or if we just thought it up ourselves, but we carefully shelled a dozen walnuts and took the meat out of them. Then we glued them back together with a loop of gold ribbon in between the halves. Then we spray painted them gold. And hung them on the tree.
Thus the golden walnuts were born. I'm not sure why we just did 12, but we have kept them in the same egg carton for lo these last 4o+ years.
I'm not sure when all the harassment began, but it seems like it's been going on for a few years. Somehow, someone started poking fun at the golden walnuts. I tend to take that kind of stuff seriously, which just encouraged people to keep poking fun at them. Last year I don't think we even put them on - the ribbon is pretty shredded and it's a lot work to get them on now.
It also became quite important to count them before we tossed the tree when Christmas was over - more than once we counted and one or two were still on the tree - tarnished and old and unnoticed!!
But I'm pretty sure if I adiosed them, I would hear a hue and cry from a chorus of unhappy sibs.
I'm waiting for someone to make me a new set - maybe for our 50th!
2 comments:
We don't have golden walnuts, but we have a glass ball ornament from millers outpost. It makes Jeff and I laugh. I'm not sure what the kids think of it.
i want to go on the record saying that i have never poked fun t the walnuts. i may have commented on the egg carton case, but never the actual walnuts:)
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