the metafictional blues

Trimming the Tree, originally uploaded by caryn74.

As previously mentioned, I’m sort of a holiday junkie. I spent part of the day yesterday pulling all of my holiday paraphanalia out of the closet and took inventory of my stash. I’m not sure what I enjoy more … the preparation and ritual of decorating or the actual holiday itself. Since I was a little kid, I’ve always loved going through boxes of ornaments, old holiday cards and decorations, remembering their history and taking some measure of comfort in their familiarity. I still remember pulling out old salt dough ornaments or macaroni garlands painted gold and hanging them on the tree until they were well past their prime. Or the yards and yards of tinsel my mom would put around the house. I was so attached to these items that I even had unspoken names for each color and variety of tinsel we would trot out year after year. I’m pretty sure my mom has replaced it all since then, but I have good memories of it. As well as those tacky but lovable melted plastic decorations, much like these. Ahh .. but before I get lost in a sea of 1970s nostalgia, I should get to the main reason for this post …

One of my favorite Christmas ornaments is just the simple glass ball ornament, like the ones pictured above. Of course now they come in all kinds of designer colors, but traditionally we only had red, green, silver, gold and blue. I loved the way these were so colorful and shiny, but so plain. I still love the way they reflect the lights on the tree and how great they look piled high in a basket or vase. After thinking about this for a while, and after talking with Jamelah about her story challenge contest, seeing Neil’s Christmahanukwanzaakah concert effort, reading my favorite crafty blogs and taking note of the current NPR holiday ornament contest, I decided to hold my own festive holiday contest — because who doesn’t love festive holiday contests?

Here are the guidelines:

– your entry can be in whatever theme you like: if you don’t celebrate Christmas, try a Hanukkah ornament or even a general winter themed or New Year’s ornament.
– your ornament must be your own creation; using other ideas to get inspiration is fine, as is using other techniques or patterns, but the finished ornament should be your own unique project.
– your ornament should use a plain standard regulation traditional glass ball ornament (such as those shown in the photo above or here). You probably have a few of these already in your stash, but if not, they are very inexpensive and easy to find. If worse comes to worse, and you don’t want to buy a set, ask a neighbor or friend if they’d be willing to part with one or a few. Or simply just lift one from the tree during your next holiday party. Ok, don’t do that, but you get the point.
– Your base should be a glass ornament, not plastic or styrofoam, and should be mirrored/colored, not a clear glass ornament that is generally used for crafting. Why? Well because I said so and because I think that is more in keeping with the challenge and nostalgic angle.
– You may use any medium, technique or construction method you desire — or any combination thereof. Painting, collage, decoupage, mosaic, lots of glue and glitter — all fabulous and acceptable. Be as wild as you want to be and have fun with it.
– You can submit up to three separate entries, but they all must follow the general guidelines as listed above.
– Contest deadline is Midnight (Eastern Time) on Saturday, December 16, 2006.

How to submit:

After creating your fabulous ornament, it’s time to submit!
– Take a digital photo of your creation and submit it to me by either emailing it to me — or — posting it in my brand new Flickr group. (The latter is preferred and easier, but if you don’t have a flickr account or just don’t know how to work it, I will post your photo for you.)
– Be sure to give your creation a title! Originality counts here, too.
– List your materials as a description and a brief explanation of how you a) came up with the idea, b) how-to instructions (if necessary) and c) anything else that may be of interest to the judges
– When posting to Flickr, please tag your item “2006 lit-fuse Ornament Contestapalooza” and include a link back to the group or mention the contest — so others can join in!

Prizes:

Winners will be chosen by an impartial judging panel and entries will be judged on originality, presentation, degree of difficulty, wit and adherence to the guidelines. Winners will be announced on Monday, December 18, 2006.

Grand Prize: wins ultimate bragging rights, a mini-Sharpie marker, holiday mix CD and an original stained glass ornament (created by me).
1st Runner Up: wins pride in a job well-done, a mini-Sharpie marker and a holiday mix CD.
2nd Runner Up: wins satisfaction in knowing they at least have been recognized and a package of M&Ms of their choosing.

Other miscellaneous prizes will be awarded at the judges’ discretion.

Whew.

All that said, I’d love for anyone reading this to join in, because even though there are judges and prizes, it’s really all about fun. Even if you’re not crafty (or just think you’re not), sit down and make an ornament. Pull out some glue, a sharpie and some cotton balls…. something. It will make you happy and more importantly it will make me happy … feel free to incorporate your own interests and ideas into your entry. If you have a blog that covers a particular topic, try creating a simple ornament that combines your passion with holiday merriment, such as Edgar Allan Poe riding a reindeer (for you litbloggers) or Chef Boyardee spinning a dreidel (for you foodies). So get busy on your creations, tell all your friends — heck, tell all your enemies and let’s see just how far the glass ball can go.