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The Night the Animals Talked, 2012
The oldest ornaments go up near the top of the tree, safe from cats, dogs and my own general klutziness. The little dog and blonde angel (just left of the balalaika) were present decorations from my cousin Anne when I was about 6. The clear glass snowman (left of dog, hard to see) is even older. The reindeer on the far left is also from Anne. The two round crystal were ridiculously expensive; purchased when I was in my mid-20s and are Lalique crystal and BEAUTIFUL. Plus I love cardinals; bought this one in Kalispell, Montana, on a trip to take a class with Hollis Chatelain in 2002.
Another tradition that goes back almost as long as I can remember is listening to this recording of The Night the Animals Talked.
Mom gave me a record when I was a girl…probably when I was about 8 or 9, that included the story “The Night the Animals Talked.” She gave me a small record player, pink with white, with a gray fuzzy turntable the size of a dessert or salad plate. And every Christmas Eve, I would listen to this story and the soothing voice of the cow.
As vinyl records gave way to cassette tapes, I recorded it from album to tape, and continued to listen to it every single Christmas Eve without fail. Then CDs arrived, but no CD version of it, so I kept up with my cassette. Finally, the last boom box with a cassette player died, and I could only sit in my cold car in the garage and listen to it there. Then I sold that car and (duh) my new car plays my iPod, not cassettes. 2010 was the first year I couldn’t listen to this version. I googled it up again this year, and lo and behold, I found it! So in 45+ years I’ve only missed once. I’ve now got it on my iPod, but thought I’d share with you here.
Found at: FilesTube
(NOTE…DRAT! They appear to have changed the way the website works and now want you to create a free account. Hmmm. NOT. Thank heavens I have my copy on my laptop. You can find the later, 1970 ish, TV version on YouTube. Part 1 is here and part 2 is here. Sorry about that. Same story, but the voices just aren’t the same.)
Grab a cuppa cocoa or cheer, close your eyes, settle back for a few minutes, and listen to the gentle voice of the cow as she narrates the story ….
Another very oldie but goodie is my now-one-eyed Santy Claus, who is tucked in behind a small blown-glass chipmunk. S. Claus is at least 45 years old. The squirrel is from a set Eli and I bought at LL Bean in Freeport about 6 years ago.
And some of the newest ornaments: Eli (I’ve taught him well!) came home from Australia in 2011 with an ornament of the Sydney Opera House. In the upper left corner is the tip of a ferry from when we lived on San Juan Island, ditto for the bald eagle on its nest in the lower right corner. The tall white hat is a Sucre woman’s hat from Bolivia, and the pink flamingo I couldn’t resist when we visited Key West this past summer, and the dog on the right was for our dearly departed Yeti, the ginormous dog-beast.
May Peace and Love, Good Health and Joy
be with you and yours through the coming years.
December 26th, 2012 at 6:12 am
The next time I set up the ‘whole’ tree I’m going to do what you are doing…. describe some of the ornaments!!!! Like you I have many that go back, way back to my own very early years… and have moved around with us (I didn’t take any Christmas stuff to S Africa)- well a couple of battery operated LED light strings, since Christmas is not the huge commercial affair it is here! Hope your ‘day’ was wonderful!
December 29th, 2012 at 1:05 pm
I collect a few ornaments every year and date them. I finally had enough for the whole tree about four years ago. It’s such a wonderful trip down memory lane to decorate the tree, remembering vacations, other homes, and special times. And, I grew up in Kalispell! So few people even know where it is that it’s always a shock to see it mentioned. It’s changed a lot since then but the scenery is still spectacular. Did you get to visit Glacier NP?