Oh, pardon me, I mean the Christmas season.
There have been some Yule shouters around these parts in recent years angry that the town fathers put up decorations and words saying "Happy Holidays!"
"It's Christmas, for cryin' out loud," these malcontents howled, "not 'the holidays'."
I'm not going to get into the midst of that argument, at least not today.
No, what I want to talk about is the Christmas tree, specifically the FLOCKED Christmas tree.
You remember them.
They looked like something from either Currier and Ives or a disco bar.
Puffy.
Apparently they were supposed to look like they were covered in snow.
Which reminded me of a late friend of mine, the irreverent Chuck Riley.
When I worked, ate and drank with him, Chuck was a disc jockey at WIBC radio in Indianapolis, Indiana.
He was a short, rotund, irascible guy with a terrific voice and a marvelous laugh.
He later moved to Los Angeles and had a great career as a voice actor whom anybody who lived in the United States has probably heard.
His voice told us about hundreds of movies, in their promotional trailers . . such as those for "Titanic" and "The Godfather".
But back to Indianapolis and Christmas one year.
A year of flocked trees.
Chuck told his fellow radio workers one day that he had a Christmas tree up at his house, which surprised us a bit as Chuck wasn't known for being a sentimental, holiday-celebrating kind of guy.
"Yeah," said Chuck, "it's one of those flocked ones."
"We put it up yesterday. We're not going to decorate it or anything."
"It's a little short. And it's black!"
"What?" we all exclaimed.
Chuck went on, "Yeah, it's just over in the corner. It looks like it's crouching."
Then came his roaring laughter.
Chuck died a little over 10 years ago at the age of 66.
But he left behind a ton of memories, including his black, flocked, crouching Christmas tree.
I've seen them, but I can't remember hearing them referred to as flocked.
ReplyDeleteI ate and drank around the little black tree, his wife Katie did put some little white lights on it, you could barely see them. Good times.
ReplyDeleteGood memory of a great time and engaging people I remember the time you ask him for a makers Mark and much to his embarrassment ihis extensive liquor closet did not include that. So the next time everybody was gathered there for another party he make sure you knew he had five bottles on hand
ReplyDeleteChuck's son Chad died the other day at 46,
ReplyDeletehttp://loudwire.com/american-head-charge-chad-hanks-dies/
ours is what I would call a modify flocked. It's flocked, but more of a lighter color of green, rather that white. I don't know why, but I liked the look.
ReplyDeleteGreat memories of yours to read and feel.
ReplyDelete