Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

In honor of the upcoming holiday, here are some items I found while walking my dog that relate, albeit sometimes in a tangential way, to Christmas.

First is apparently a program for a holiday worship service, including lyrics for "O Come All Ye Faithful," "What Child Is This?", "The First Noel," and "Joy to the World."

On the back, somebody wrote another list of songs, perhaps to be performed by the choir, along with someone's name and phone number. The songs include "Ave Maria," "All I Ask," "Amaz" ("Amazing Grace?") and "Eagle's Wings."

Whoever it was had a very musical Christmas service. Hopefully, all the singers were good. Otherwise, it would have been excruciating: "Oh, no! They're singing again! That's it; I'm leaving."

Next is a small Christmas note, with a pair of Santa's boots on the front.

Inside is hand-written, "Kim, Merry Christmas! Kim."

I'm assuming this happened to be someone giving a gift to someone with the same name, but it could just be a self-bought gift with a wry gift card. Who knows?

Now here are some items that people often purchase as gifts for the holidays. First is a sticker for an African-American Barbie.

She's wearing an awful printed hoodie, but I guess even Barbie makes a fashion misstep once in a while.

Next are directions for what appears to be an Xbox game called Reactor. Given that the game was manufactured by Kellogg Co., it probably came in a cereal box. This sheet provides directions for flying "your spaceship through the rocky terrain to destroy the main reactor."

Now, I'm not certain what happens when you win, considering that means you've just destroyed a reactor at close range. Apparently, a "winning tone" plays. Considering that such a close-range mission would no doubt destroy the spaceship, it seems a small reward.

Electronic devices are also popular gifts. Which brings me to my next item, a piece of white cardboard showing an artist's rendering of a Treo phone.

I'm not exactly sure where this was used, because it has seems as if it's made to be folded on the sides. I think maybe it came from a package containing a Treo phone. Although why you'd also need a picture of it, when you could probably see the phone itself, is anyone's guess.

Finally, if you can't think of anything else to give, there's always cash.

"What do you mean this isn't a real $20 bill, officer? My nephew gave it to me as a Christmas present. Yes, I know it has a township newsletter on the back, but I just thought that was part of the new design. No, I must admit, on second glance, that doesn't look very real."

Oh, well. It's the thought that counts.

Copyright 2007 by Alyce Wilson

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