Every year, there seems to be a few particularly popular symbols or creatures and true to American form, we take that character and run with it. We put it on everything from towels, to soaps, to cups, to garden accessories, to underwear. This year I have seen a lot of llamas, sloths and those cute, little gnomes, in which the only thing that you can see is their adorable little ball of a nose, sticking out from under their pointy hats. At Christmas time, these items seem to multiply, and usually with little holiday additions, like holly berries and some tinsel, to add to their charm.
I have not been immune to this craze. I have a couple of sloth accessories, several llama trinkets and about 500 versions of the nose gnome. I’ve loved gnomes since I was a kid and this particular version is extremely irresistible to me.
When my husband and I were first married, we became friends with a Swedish family, who came to America for a couple of years, on a work visa. Our Swedish friends said that one of the things that struck them the most about America, was the overwhelming abundance of choices, when it came to just about anything. They said that they even found toothpaste shopping to be stressful, due to the plethora of brands and flavors.
It’s easy to be a collector of just about anything in America. There are so many options available. I think that this is something that many of us take for granted. Truthfully, some of us take this American perk, a little too far, thus the TV show, Hoarders. Every once in a while, I make myself watch that show, just to keep myself in check. I don’t want my readers to watch that show someday and see me buried in a pile of llama, sloth and big-nosed gnome trinkets. I want to still be able to get to my computer and to write. Plus, I want to still have plenty of room for objects portraying the new “in” symbol of cuteness, every single year.