Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Christmas Story 2016 EXPLAINED!


As I was considering what the 2017 Christmas Story should be about, I spent a few minutes looking back at the 2016 story. Last year, I broke the story into 8 different parts, which hopefully made it more consumable. Then I realized something -- I never provided the context for any of the encounters in the story, which probably left most of you scratching your heads.

Do NOT let me do that anymore! If it looks like I'm missing an entry in this blog, it's probably because I AM. :-D

The LONG overdue context for the encounters from last year's Christmas story are linked below.

First stop, the old crone in the shack: the old lady was a representation of Befana, a figure in Italian folklore. She is supposed to appear witchy, but she's a kindly old witch, and distributes gifts fairly, each according to their merit.

Second stop, the steamboat captain: the steamboat captain was a representation of Sinterklaas. I picked on something that I never would have guessed -- that Sinterklaas rides a steamboat between Spain and the Netherlands.

Third stop, the strangely dressed giant: the giant was a representation of Olentzero, a figure in Basque folklore. I was particularly taken with the descriptions of his style of dress combined with the fact that he was a giant.

Last stop, the three identical short folks: these guys are elves, plain and simple. I had considered having reindeer wandering around the yard, but decided that that would make it a punch on the face instead of a touch to the nose.

And if you read through part 7, you know who Maryam is. :-)

So, there you have it -- four Christmas folklores rolled into a single story. I was thoroughly entertained reading up on the different traditions from different places, especially the ones I'd never heard of (Befana and Olentzero). Hopefully, now that you've got more context, you'll enjoy last year's story as well!

The *real* question is: should I even bother writing a story this year? :-D

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