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| Frostina the snowgirl |
heir·loom
1.
a family possession handed down from generation to
generation.
2.
Law. property neither personal nor real that descends to the heir of
an estate as part of the real property.
Why the dictionary introduction? Well, let me explain. At a party the
other night, just for fun, we were asked to unscramble a group of words
relating to Christmas. One of the
words was heirloom. A discussion
ensued on whether heirloom actually had any relevance to Christmas. On researching this debate, I
discovered that….
To some people (although not those in tropical
climates) snow would be a Christmas word—sleet although technically similar,
not so much.
To some, hot cocoa could be Christmassy although
probably not to Starbucks.
Carol the song…yup that screams Christmas. Carol Burnette—nope, not unless she’s
wearing a red hat with a white pom pom and yelling “Ho, Ho, Ho.
Before 1949 Rudolph was just a Latin lover in the
movies named Valentino. Nowadays
ask anyone, and they will tell you he is a reindeer. And by the way what do reindeer have to do with Christmas? Until
the 1823 poem “A visit from St. Nicholas.” No one ever heard of a reindeer at
Christmas.
Just try and list cow or sheep as a Christmas
word and most people will be scratching their heads. Try setting up a nativity with a reindeer instead of the above-mentioned
livestock; however, and…well you get the picture.
So what have I discovered about Christmas words? Just like art (you knew I would somehow
fit that in didn’t you?) Some like Picasso…whereas others like Da Vinci. So it’s
all pretty much relative.
Going back to the word--heirloom. There are heirloom ornaments and there
are heirloom tomatoes. Are tomatoes a fruit or a vegetable? Scientifically speaking tomatoes are a fruit,
where cooking is concerned they are a vegetable...
Hmmmmm….I think we have reached an
m·passe [im-pas,
im-pas]
noun
1.
A position or situation from which there
is no escape; deadlock.
2.
A road or way that has no outlet;
cul-de-sac.
I didn't know the 2nd definition of heirloom!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I've always loved word games and this has been fun.
ReplyDeleteI would never have thought of heirloom as a word associated with Christmas and then I thought about those who have decorations or ornaments that have been in a family for generations.
Crystal ~ you are so witting and hilarious... I just love reading your posts..You are the sunshine in my Christmas...is sunshsine a Christmas word??? HaHa
ReplyDeleteFantastic Frostina, Crustal! Love your post about heirlooms.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Crystal! Very interesting!!
ReplyDelete