TISSUE PAPER TURKEYS

Do you remember those holiday decorations that were displayed in your elementary school classroom around Thanksgiving?  I'm not sure what exactly the technical word for the genre of decorations that folded flat but when unfolded and turned circularly jumped into 3-D.  They were made of tissue paper.  I definitely remember the pumpkin and the turkey that Mrs. Cripe had in our 2nd grade classroom.  I was always somewhat mesmerized by them.  Still am:)  What an ingenious storage idea!  A bit B-rated, kinda of tacky decoration though.  I saw one at Target the other day and laughed out loud.  Paper chains of brown, gold, yellow, and orange were strung around the room with construction paper pilgrim hats galore!  My mom always got into the Thanksgiving tchatchkeness with her cornucopia that sat atop our dining room table.  She went through different phases of creativity as to what she placed in that cornucopia.  One year she was really into decorating appropriately Styrofoam shaped fall items (apples, pumpkins, ears of corn) and pushing glittery beaded doo-dads in them.  It was long before the movement of bedazzling hit the scene.  That year the cornucopia was filled with her glittery beaded display.  Other years small pumpkins, leaves ironed into wax paper, gourds and Indian corn splayed out of the cornucopia.  I saw a cornucopia the other day and fondly thought of my childhood and my mom.  I didn't buy it though.  Holiday craps just aren't my bag.  My mom is a crafting queen.  She is amazing grandmother who has entertained her now grown 6 grandchildren over the years with her crafts at holiday times.  Thanksgiving usually involved a huge meal, men in the basement watching football and napping, the women playing games and then my mom busting out the holiday crafts for the grandkids (ok and my one sister who loves them too!).  One year she did an edible craft when the granddaughters were young.  Turkeys made out of chocolate shortbread cookies, candy corn, frosting, a Reese cup, and other sugary treats.  Like they had not eaten enough crap already that day!  All 6 of her grandchildren (all girls) lived for those crafting times every Thanksgiving and Christmas.  If there was a best grandma in the world award she would be the recipient.  Sometimes late in the day, after bellies were stuffed, crafts made, the grandkids would beg her to take them to the movies.  She always obliged:)  That's really what Thanksgiving is all about isn't it.  Enjoying the presence of those that hold a deep place in our hearts.  It's getting to focus on them, stop life for a day and think about the things, the people, the purpose of life - being thankful and loving.  Now where is that paper mache turkey for my table top!