A Whilomly Day
I wonder if I am old fashioned? I love early mornings, ancient books that you can smell, wool sweaters, plaid ribbon, hand-written letters, old hymns, hats, witty humor, chivalry, and good conversation face to face.
I spent just the other day in a whilomly sort of way --
The air smelled of wood smoke and pine. The familiar path into the woods, the laughter in the forest of my siblings and friends, the pruning of evergreen boughs....the clamping of the wreath machine; they all brought back memories.
Nostalgia is like a warm cup of soup on a cold winters day. You don't realize just how good it is until you partake and afterwards it leaves you feeling warm and filled.
Several years in a row my family and friends have been making old fashioned wreaths for the businesses in our local area. Whilomly Wreaths. Whilomly being an outdated word for "old fashioned". This year we were greeted by customers that remembered us and eagerly ordered their old fashioned wreaths. Downtown they are putting up lights. Shops are already decorating and you can feel it...the Christmas spirit is flooding the gates, just ready to spill over and take everyone captive. Soon we all will be humming with Bing and making lists and baking gingerbread cookies. The thick blackstrap molasses ones from mom's old Betty Crocker cookbook, that melt in your mouth when you dunk them in coffee. There is something to be said for our modern day. Really the past can't be made without a present. But then I can't help but relish those little things in life. So often modern means chintzy, temporary, fast paced, processed or generic. The details are so easily missed by the majority today. And for some reason Christmas brings back that innocence to our distracted grown-up minds and suddenly people are warmed and filled by holiday memories.
Somehow a fresh-pine scented wreath triggers the old-fashioned soul in us. For me there's a refreshing satisfaction about being "out of vogue". Replacing the China plastic with something I made, something that symbolizes how it used to be. I hope my whilomly day can remind you to stop and take the time to try adding a little old fashionedness to your day. So whether you are placing a plaid ribboned wreath on your front door, knitting mittens, reading an ancient smelly book, drinking tea or baking cookies, I hope you can revel in it and find the same enjoyment I have found in having a whilomly day.
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