Thursday, January 03, 2013

Christmas Creatures 2012


The Christmas Creatures are a long held family tradition. My Dad has been making them for all the children (and guests and ‘hangers on’) for some 38 years. (You can see some examples from over the years here.) In conversation with my Dad just before Christmas, he told me that one year, what with cousins and extra small guests, he made sixteen of that Creature! SIXTEEN? And I stress about four!

Last year, my Dad handed the tradition over to me. This was my first one: intended as a testament and honour to my Dad’s years of Christmas Creature production. (He's a retired doctor.)

Here is this year’s creature:


Christmas Creatures have a cavity, into which tiny gifts, wrapped in tissue paper, are inserted. Of course, with a chicken... it really HAD to be an egg, right? (Found in Sampeng Lane, Chinatown.)


I have to confess that the design is not my own. I hope that this is not deemed cheating; rather I see it as utilizing the opportunities of the 21st century and once I had seen LiEr's truly brilliant pattern, nothing I could have done would have come close; this was everything I wanted the chicken creature to be. It was found here and purchased, as insurance, (here) in case time ran away with me. Time did run away with me; lion costumes and holly headpieces took up more than I anticipated and two of the creatures have to be sent ahead to the UK. 


3 comments:

sheepish said...

Hi Jennie love the chickens but would prefer sheep!! Happy New Year to you and your family.

Carol said...

OMG I LOVE them!! Absolutely gorgeous and has the added advantage of reminding me of my Mum's fabulous comment when looking at a seriously overdecorated chicken whilst in Thailand...she said 'You got to admire the workmanship on that chicken!'...not something you hear every day!

C x

Jenny Beattie said...

Sheepish, did you look at the first link? Those are my Dad's and a few years ago he made an awesome sheep!

Carol, thank you. Ha ha ha. Yes, nothing's changed here.