125 Years of Refreshment

My sister has been known to chastise me because I often chose to write about historical events in this blog, rather than holidays.  I have to remind her that this blog is my attempt to address special days and festivities and yes, even historical events, that are cause for celebration and of particular significance to my family. 

Simultaneously, I hope to encourage others to find or create similar days to mark and celebrate with their own loved ones. 

For example, while I am sure the Chinese New Year is special and important to millions, (who am I kidding?) billions, it's not really a day circled in red (ha,ha) on our Smith family calendar.   

What is cause for celebration in our house is tomorrow's 125th birthday of the iconic beverage, Coca Cola, created by Atlanta pharmacist John Pemberton.  

Coke permeates life in Atlanta.  It's distinctive bottle and logo are inescapable here, from the international headquarters,

the giant Coke bottle behind left field at Braves stadium,

and the Coca-Cola museum, to name just a few.

We've made more than a few visits to the "World of Coke" and enjoyed it every time -- especially the Taste-It Exhibit which allows you to sample more than 60 Coca Cola products from around the world.  Can I just say here that what certain cultures find lip-smacking can sometimes be perplexing.   Inca Kola (lemongrass bubblegum flavor), I'm talking about you!

And the Woodruff Arts Center, Callanwolde, Emory University and The Westminster Schools are just some of the ways Coca Cola fortunes have enhanced the quality of life in Atlanta. 

At our house today, we'll be enjoying a few Coca Cola products.  Someone will, no doubt, have a Coke, or Diet Coke or a Coke Zero.  Heck, I may even go in search of a Tab. 

And since today is all about Coke and history, how about this? 

A Nutcracker Nut

 I love The Nutcracker.  There, I’ve said it. A woman in her 40s with an unconstrained passion for a children's book.

E.T.A. Hoffman’s, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, written almost 200 years ago, is a wonder.  It has fantasy and horror.  It has villains and heroes.  It is both scary and a love story.  It has all the elements of a good read.

I have a collection of these children’s books as well as themed ornaments (remember my post about not being a collector? Yeah, cancel that).   I now have an entire tree that is just The Nutcracker.

I try to add one or two ornaments each year.  Here are some of my favorites:

(l to r) Nutcracker book, a Christopher Radko Nutcracker and  godfather, toymaker, inventor  Drosselmeir.

This ornament has a battery-powered rotating mechanism that makes it turn.   Marya (sometimes called Marie or Clara) on the left, Mouse King on the right.

Now I know some people love the Nutcracker but, to my mind, there is an overabundance of nutcrackers out there.  Perhaps it's because I’m partial to the Mouse King and his antics.  

My lime green Mouse King tree-topper.  Even though (spoiler alert) he is  not victorious in the end, I love seeing him looking down on his tree kingdom

I want all the story’s characters represented on my tree, even the seemingly minor ones. That's why I bought this ornament, and several others like it, on eBay.

The Mother Ginger and her Polichinelles (little puppets)

If you haven't read The Nutcracker and the Mouse King to your children, you should. And don't be surprised if, like me, they love the Mouse King the most.

O Little Town of Bethlehem

I am not a collector.  Okay, maybe a sort of collector.  I have a few teacups and saucers (mostly inherited from my grandmothers) and an assortment of childrens’ books (but only the classics, or ones with super cute illustrations).  If I was going to collect anything in earnest, however, I would collect these:

The delightfully retro plastic one in the front right is a personal favorite.

 

These little nativity scenes are adorable and, at least to me, made only more adorable by their miniature nature.  I can think of little that is more precious than a teeny baby Jesus.  I display these creches all year long. 

My sister brought this one to me from her vacation in Mexico. It came in a little 2 inch by 3 inch silver-plated box.  The photo quality is not very good and I think one of the wise men is AWOL (perhaps he preferred the Central American climate), but I don’t mind.  The cow, the sheep and the donkey are too cute. 

 

This one, however, is my favorite.

Look what's inside when you lift the top! I know, cute right?

Again,  this one is from my sister’s travels to Mexico.  Hey, it just dawned on me, if I could ever get to Mexico, I could start a real collection!