Elves In The Off-Season

[bloodyrosemccoy]

Baby Boomers Recognition Day
Cancer Begins
Midsummer (Wiccan)
Pee on Earth Day
Summer Begins (Northern Hemisphere)
Summer Solstice
Vegan World Day
Winter Begins (Southern Hemisphere)
Birthday - Martha Washington (First Lady)
National Day (Greenland)

 

Happy Summer Solstice, everyone. It’s like the opposite of Christmas! Hooray!

 

Once on one of our long hikes through somewhere or other, my mother, as is her wont, stopped to take closeup pictures of some of the plants along the trail. There were many passersby on the trail, and as they watched Mom with her camera we could see them craning their necks to try to figure out what she was taking pictures of. None seemed satisfied with the idea of photos of flowers, so I said she should say “I’m taking pictures of FAIRIES! Can’t you see the FAIRIES?!” in a voice which suggests not only madness, but a significant amount of foam at the corner of one’s mouth.

 

The thing is, somehow the siblings decided that that was one of the funniest sound bites ever, right up there with the Dude’s Gooney Bird Mating Call.* So now whenever we mention fairies, it’s in that voice, which rather takes away from the mystical image of fairies.

 

The reason I mention this is because of our strange Midsummer tradition of old, beyond the usual tiki torches and the subsequent days in which Dad claims that he can tell that the days are getting shorter and now he’s depressed because it’s winter. It was the traditional fairy dance.

 

Here’s how it worked: According to Mom, every year on Midsummer Eve the fairies and elves and miscellanies would get together for their annual party in the garden, which is really a pretty fairyish garden anyway, and if we left them some food and party supplies they might leave us little presents, like say sparkly treasures. So we’d put out some Playmobil stuff for them to use at their party—toys and tables to set their food on, and little bits of candy—and in the morning we would find that the fairies had left us little tokens of friendship. I still have some of the things they left me: jewelry, a little pewter unicorn with a sparkly crystal, a bag of glass half-marbles that always played the part of Magical Gems in my wizardly endeavors (there were a lot) or the Lost Treasure my dolls were always rappelling around tropical islands to find.**

 

Once the fairies had a really rowdy night and some of the frat elves decided to move the presiding yard gnome to another part of the garden.

 

Another time my cousins visited during this important time, and decided to really set things up. I think by the end there were 20 Playmobil playsets out in the garden, along with some other doll stuff, including a hospital where the injured fairies could get attention and tents for the tired ones to sleep in. The next morning they were thrilled when we found a little carved bird in the wheelchair.

 

There was something so lovely about it all. It was a kind of secret holiday, instead of the big loud ones everybody celebrated. And I spent endless hours picturing the way the fairies all looked at their party, and how happy they must be that somebody knew about their secret parties. Even while I knew that the whole thing was just for fun, I still liked to think about that, because I was a hopelessly romantic kid.

 

This year the fairies brought me incense. ’S funny how the fairies know what I like. Especially now that I’m helping them.

 

So when you put out your tiki torches for the Solstice,*** keep an eye out for the FAIRIES. They like tiki torches, too.

 

 

*“GOOOOOney-gooneygooney!” Someday I’ll make a sound file of that.

 

**As has been noted by so many people my age, as a kid I was not exactly a “Let’s play Domestic Diva Barbie!” kind of person. My childhood games, either played with friends or involving toys, were like if you stuck all the Saturday morning adventure cartoons in a giant blender and seasoned them with plot holes and genre leaping and then gave the whole thing to Peter Jackson to produce.

 

***Doesn’t everybody?

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_wastrel/]

You've convinced me I need to really sit down sometime when I have time, and invent a holiday.

Tremble, world! >_>

You May Have Already Heard Of This One ...

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

Indeed, it's fun to do! For further inspiration, I refer you to this famous masterpiece of made-up holidays, which I especially love because that's my birthday, so when I turn 21 this year I plan to drink grog and then go "Arr!" until I pass out.

I'm curious to see what you'd come up with.

Re: You May Have Already Heard Of This One ...

[http://users.livejournal.com/_wastrel/]

A friend of mine back then opened his first entry of the day with something like "Arrr, mateys! Yohoho and God, what are we doing with our lives?"

[dormouse-in-tea.livejournal.com]

I meandered over here thanks to ampersand linking to your recent entry on Rules, and have been moseying backwards. I think I shall friend you to increase the ease of stalking, because you are very interesting.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

Why, thankye kindly! It's always nice to know that somebody is interested in what goes on in my head. You are duly friended in return.

[dormouse-in-tea.livejournal.com]

Shant be much reciprocal interesting, I fear, I mainly post whines about work and whatnot. But I do salute your wisdom in keeping an eye on those who choose to stalk you. ^_^

[nixve.livejournal.com]

My childhood games, either played with friends or involving toys, were like if you stuck all the Saturday morning adventure cartoons in a giant blender and seasoned them with plot holes and genre leaping and then gave the whole thing to Peter Jackson to produce.

oh, heck yeah! Me too :)